The hit movie “Oppenheimer” delves into the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who ran the Manhattan Project, which was responsible for the development of the atomic bomb during World War 2. I was hit immediately by how quality leadership helped put Oppenheimer on the path he took, and how bad leadership could have stunted him towards mediocrity and self-doubt. All this happened in the opening scenes of the movie.
Oppenheimer’s story starts with him as a student in a physics lab at the University of Cambridge. Oppenheimer smashes the equipment he’s working with to demonstrate that he is not only subpar, but possibly the worst student in the lab and experimental physics. The professor didn’t think much of Oppenheimer and believed he didn’t have the skills to engage in proper physics work.
The professor scolds Oppenheimer and forces him to clean up his station while the rest of the class leaves to see a lecture by leading quantum physicist Niels Bohr. It is a lecture Oppenheimer had to remind the professor was taking place.
Oppenheimer quickly cleans his station, then scurries to the lecture.
The next scene finds Oppenheimer and the professor back in the lab, but this time with Niels Bohr. Oppenheimer introduces himself. Bohr responds favorably, recalling that Oppenheimer was the person who asked the only good question during the lecture. A conversation ensues between Bohr and the professor about what Oppenheimer lacks in terms of experimental physics and mathematical acumen . Regardless, Oppenheimer mentions his interest and capability with theoretical work.
Bohr encourages Oppenheimer to leave Cambridge and go to various places to talk with the top theoretical physics minds in Europe. Oppenheimer does just that.
Stark contrasts in styles bring different results
From this description, or if you saw the movie yourself, you could likely see the different ways the professor and Bohr made Oppenheimer feel about himself and his value. Their leadership styles were in stark contrast with one another and the impact was profoundly different.
In my book, The Four Fundamental Forces of Leadership, I talk about how leaders can help others (as well as themselves) explore and uncover the art that is within their block of marble. The Cambridge professor was incapable, unwilling, or closed off to seeing what was possible with Oppenheimer and, possibly, all of his students. He was focused on bringing his extensive experience and technical capability to making the students in his class proficient in experimental physics. His job was to produce the right amounts of units of production at a certain quality level. To him, Oppenheimer was an input which didn’t have the raw material to create the viable output he measured himself against but was forced to deal with.
Bohr, on the other hand, quickly and easily saw that Oppenheimer’s marble was filled with theoretical and quantum physics. Bohr was turned on by the quality question Oppenheimer asked the day before. In order to ask such a question, he saw Oppenheimer had art within his marble that must be released from the chains that were holding him back at Cambridge.
What’s your leadership style?
Do you see people in your charge as resources to generate required outputs, or do you strive to see the potential within and help them explore what might be possible, even if it doesn’t align with what’s needed in the here and now?
Do you chastise and look down upon a person who isn’t skilled enough in specific parts of their given role regardless of the ramifications, or do you look past those inadequacies to see the special talents they do have and work to get them into the right seat?
A friend of mine, Danita Bye, talked with me about a leadership concept that looks to help people “reach their quota”. Even though Danita was a sales leader and consultant, she wasn’t talking about helping a salesperson hit the sales number set for them. She was talking about a leader understanding where a person wants to go…what inspires them…where they’d like to see themselves. What is their personal quota, their goal for themselves?
When leaders understand someone’s personal quota and devote time and energy to help them reach that goal, the individual will give the extra effort to be successful at what they do for the benefit of not only themselves, but for the team and organization. The leader trusts the person will give that effort even though, in the end, that person may leave the organization when the path to the quota outgrows the role they are in.
Helping others reach their quota
Serving others to become the best they can become is different than what Niels Bohr did with Oppenheimer. Bohr made one suggestion in service of Oppenheimer. A leader’s role is more connected, long-term and long-lasting. Here are some things you can do to help others find the art within their own marble.
1) Be open to possibilities.
Managers look to generate specific outputs from a set of inputs. Leaders develop people and help maximize their capabilities. In order to be that developer, you must open up to explore the interests, capabilities and goals of others, where they see themselves in the future (their quota) and what might be paths to help them reach their possibilities inside or outside of the framework of the job or expectations at hand. Trying to fit someone into a process or box because that is what is required will not bring out the best in anyone or anything.
2) Work with others to help them find the art within their marble.
Obviously, you won’t be able to chip away at the marble of each person in your charge. You don’t have the time. Also, if you did even for one person, the art would be your creation, not theirs.
Help them start. Bohr chipped away at the block of Oppenheimer’s marble to expose veins he could explore. It was Oppenheimer’s responsibility to chisel away to uncover the art within. You can be there to help when the person gets stuck in their path and even chip away at some more and give them some additional inspiration.
3) Regularly check in about how tasks and the process align or misalign with team and personal goals.
It’s important to keep communication lines open with those you lead to stay connected on progress towards one another’s needs and aspirations. There will be things you ask of people that won’t necessarily fully align with the person’s quota. That’s okay. Hopefully, you have an understanding that each of you need things from the other that won’t necessarily be a part of what’s needed in front of you.
If you can help others see how what you put in front of them most of the time serves their goals, even in a small way, they will willingly take it on and do their best because they are engaged and aligned.
There may come a point where what you need done and a person’s quota no longer fit well. This is a good thing, even though it might be sad. Part of being a leader is building up people to a point where they leave for something more. You’ve done your job well in such cases.
4) Hold yourself and others accountable to the process.
There will be many points in this journey when stresses will present themselves with choices to make that may or may not connect with helping others reach their goal. Through these points, do what is needed to address the stress, but make certain you keep yourself and others in line with the journey you’ve agreed to. You can, if needed, stray from the path for a short period of time as long as you come back. Understand how the diversion helped build experience that will serve quota attainment and whether it changes the potential art seen within the marble.
If Oppenheimer didn’t meet with Niels Bohr, and he didn’t challenge Oppenheimer to break the chains of Cambridge, who knows what might have happened. Would Oppenheimer have been so disillusioned with himself and his place that he never would have gotten on the path of quantum theoretical physics? What implications might have that have had on the world as we know it?
Obviously, you won’t be able to chip away at the marble of each person in your charge. You don’t have the time. Also, if you did even for one person, the art would be your creation, not theirs.
Help them start. Bohr chipped away at the block of Oppenheimer’s marble to expose veins he could explore. It was Oppenheimer’s responsibility to chisel away to uncover the art within. You can be there to help when the person gets stuck in their path and even chip away at some more and give them some additional inspiration.
It’s important to keep communication lines open with those you lead to stay connected on progress towards one another’s needs and aspirations. There will be things you ask of people that won’t necessarily fully align with the person’s quota. That’s okay. Hopefully, you have an understanding that each of you need things from the other that won’t necessarily be a part of what’s needed in front of you.
If you can help others see how what you put in front of them most of the time serves their goals, even in a small way, they will willingly take it on and do their best because they are engaged and aligned.
There may come a point where what you need done and a person’s quota no longer fit well. This is a good thing, even though it might be sad. Part of being a leader is building up people to a point where they leave for something more. You’ve done your job well in such cases.
There will be many points in this journey when stresses will present themselves with choices to make that may or may not connect with helping others reach their goal. Through these points, do what is needed to address the stress, but make certain you keep yourself and others in line with the journey you’ve agreed to. You can, if needed, stray from the path for a short period of time as long as you come back. Understand how the diversion helped build experience that will serve quota attainment and whether it changes the potential art seen within the marble.
The decisions you make with others may not have the historical global impact of Oppenheimer. However, it could have a historical impact on that person and the people they touch. That concept is very cool.
