Direction (High Five Leadership)

This podcast episode focuses on the leadership skill of giving direction, part of the “High Five Leadership” framework. Todd explains that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how much direction a leader should provide—it depends on two key factors: the task and the people involved.

 

For the task, leaders should consider its complexity, how new it is, and the level of risk. More complex, unfamiliar, or high-risk tasks usually require more guidance. For the people, leaders should assess ability, experience, personality (adventurous vs. cautious), and whether the goal is growth or simply getting the job done.

 

Through examples like Lewis and Clark (minimal direction for exploration) and Chick-fil-A (highly structured direction for efficiency), the episode shows how direction varies by situation. The key takeaway is that effective leadership involves adjusting the level of direction based on context, and regularly evaluating what clarity is needed to move forward.