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    You are here Home » Hay group

    What Matrix Leaders Can Learn from Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

    Last updated on Apr 17, 2013 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    The success of his
    nighttime ride almost 240 years ago is a testament to effective matrix
    leadership skills–and a lesson for today’s leaders.

    Guest post by Signe Spencer, Hay Group

    A few months
    ago, I would never have considered Paul Revere a useful example of a matrix
    leader. I always thought of him as the prototypical lone hero, galloping
    through the night shouting “the British are coming,” more or less at random, to
    rouse the countryside.

    But then I
    read
    Paul Revere’s Ride, David Hackett
    Fischer’s excellent account of the people and events leading to the start of
    the American revolution. It turns out Paul Revere wasn’t working alone, and
    didn’t shout randomly as he rode.

    In fact,
    almost nothing about his ride that night was random. Revere had spent decades
    laying the foundation for his overnight success. And his story has important
    lessons for anyone concerned about
    effective matrix
    leadership
    .

    A colonial
    matrix?

    When we
    think of early patriots today, we remember a few outsized historical figures
    like Samuel Adams and John Hancock, and the Sons of Liberty. But the reality
    was far more complex. 

    The Sons of
    Liberty was just one of seven important Boston patriot groups involving
    hundreds of influential citizens. Each was loosely organized around its own
    focus and goals, with few connections and little or no formal communication
    between them.

    In the same
    way, every town had its own militia, created for its protection and commanded
    by its leading citizens. There was little overlap between them, and no
    overarching organization or command structure uniting them.

    Today we
    would call this assemblage a matrix – a poorly organized one at that. And
    veteran managers know better than to expect quick, decisive action from a
    poorly organized matrix.

    But Paul
    Revere succeeded

    Paul Revere,
    it turns out, had the exact qualities that were required to bring
    clarity to this confusion of colonial coalitions, and unify its divergent
    forces to deliver a coherent, revolutionary response.

    He was a
    natural matrix leader, displaying the key leadership qualities that are
    essential to success in today’s matrixed organizations.
     
    Revere knew the patriot groups. He was a
    joiner who had been active in the civic affairs of Boston all his life. In fact,
    he was one of only two people known to have belonged to five of the seven
    important patriot organizations. As a result, Revere was familiar with the
    activities, goals and leadership of all these groups, and was perfectly
    positioned to help coordinate the separate streams of patriot activities when
    events required.
     

    The take-away for matrix managers:
    Like Revere, effective matrix leaders
    must have a broad organizational awareness to successfully align their group’s
    objectives and activities with those of parallel groups, as well as the
    strategic goals of the organization as a whole. They also must know where to
    seek the resources they need to meet their objectives, and what levers they
    have to push to get them. 
     
    Revere knew people and how to influence them.
    Through
    his long record of civic activism, his broad range of interests, and his work
    as a silversmith, Revere not only knew most of Boston’s influential citizens,
    but those of neighboring towns as well. He also knew how to build consensus to
    accomplish common goals, and had established a regional reputation as a man of
    his word who could be trusted to get things done.
     
    The take-away for matrix managers: Leaders in
    a matrix often lack line authority over critical team members, or over
    gatekeepers who control critical resources elsewhere in the organization. The
    ability to understand people and their motivations – and to use the tools of
    influence and persuasion to enlist their support and assistance – is vital to
    successful matrix management.
     
    Revere took initiative in guiding a
    collaborative solution.
    He spent months visiting and talking with
    local leaders in Boston and surrounding towns, helping to forge unity and
    create a specific plan of action to counter an anticipated British move against
    the armory in Concord. When the time came, Revere didn’t shout from horseback
    to just anyone; he rode to prearranged homes and roused the residents, who in
    turn notified other key individuals, activating a cascading communication
    network that he had helped to create.
     
    What it means for matrix managers: Successful
    matrix efforts almost always require thoughtful preparation to create the
    conditions that will support a positive outcome. Keen organization awareness
    and outstanding influence skills are empty assets unless matrix leaders take
    the initiative to use them to lay the groundwork for success, and guide their
    teams to create collaborative solutions that meet organizational goals.

    Leadership
    you can learn

    No business
    wants managers running through the halls shouting, “The competition is coming.”
    But as more organizations shift to matrix structures, the leadership skills
    that the real Paul Revere possessed are in greater, and growing, demand.

    Yet many
    organizations find that good matrix leaders are in short supply – in large part
    because veteran managers accustomed to traditional, hierchical roles are not
    necessarily prepared for the very different demands of a matrix.

    Fortunately,
    the skills required of effective matrix leaders can be learned – and your organizational
    patriots can be ready and waiting when the competition arrives.

    Signe Spencer is a senior consultant and
    global practice leader for capability assessment at
    Hay Group, and has researched successful leadership
    practices in matrix structures.
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    Leading through Long Term Influence »
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