Leadership and the Art of Foreshadowing

When an author hints at things to come, it is foreshadowing.   It gives the reader a clue as to what to expect.   It leads the reader in a certain direction.

Foreshadowing in leadership does the same thing, but it is even more important in teams because often team members are reticent to adapt to change.  The leader who has the skill set to give the team information about upcoming events will be rewarded with a team that is better equipped to meet upcoming challenges.

Not every situation allows the leader to advance information to the team.  We all recognize that there are confidential matters that cannot be discussed.  In the vast majority of situations, however, the leader is able to give the team a "heads up" about what is coming down the tracks, whether it's a new thought process generated by the leader herself or a direction the leader is expected to execute.

• "I just wanted to let you know that I'm seriously considering changing the marketing calendar next year and I've focused my efforts on spring.  Any input you may have regarding that subject would be appreciated."
• "I have been observing workload.  My concern is that the nature of our business has changed, but we haven't re-distributed the workload.   I'm going to spend some time analyzing this - any help you can provide would be great."
• "There is a great likelihood that we will have a new location to staff and operate within the next six months.   I cannot give you specific details, but I want you to be prepared in case this initiative comes through."

What does foreshadowing accomplish?

It enables the team to prepare themselves for change.

It enables you to solicit advice and assistance, in advance, from the team.

It allows the team to hear the information from you, a sanctioned source, first.  (Otherwise, it may come to them as hearsay from another source, thereby creating instability.)

It creates a sense of trust and camaraderie vs. "well, he keeps all of the information to himself until the last minute."

It avoids the very legitimate complaint that the team has been blindsided.

As with everything, there are a few exceptions.  The leader must have the ability to discerningly edit;  only solid, well-intentioned information should be shared.  Unreliable hearsay is just that and it's silly to burden the team with it.   Certainly, as mentioned earlier, there are issues that are confidential and cannot be shared.   I have found that the simple statement of "Please understand that this issue was so confidential I could not share it with you earlier," is both a legitimate and acceptable explanation to the team.

Foreshadowing simply allows the team to see, in advance, the issues they will face together - and it enables them to proceed more efficiently and effectively.