Leadership Lessons from the Berlin Wall

In 1961 the East German government built the Berlin wall to stop the flow of people into West Germany. Over time, the wall did more than stop the flow of people. It became a powerful symbol of oppression and stopped the flow of ideas and freedom.

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell.

This historic change opened the flow of people, and again became an equally powerful symbol of change, creativity and a return to greater freedoms.

Both the building and tearing down of the wall are powerful metaphors for leaders. Many leaders put up walls to "protect" or "isolate" themselves from those they lead. While it may not be as intentional as the Berlin wall, it will likely be as obvious and limiting to those you lead.

Walls You May Have Erected

Have you put up walls through your words or actions that reduce or limit any of the following?

Trust. Are the levels of trust in your organization and on your team where you would like them to be?
Communication. While communication is always a challenge, do you find yourself able to clearly communicate with your team, and do they communicate freely with you?
Openness. Are you comfortable in sharing your concerns genuinely and do people share them with you in return?
Creativity/Ideas. Do you hear great ideas from your team regularly?
Engagement. Are people onboard, enrolled and moving forward towards their goals and the goals of the team?
Attitude. Is the attitude of the organization healthy and where you would like it to be?

Your answers to these questions hopefully will be quite instructive.

If you find gaps when answering them, recognize that you as a leader play a role in each of them. If any fall short of where you would like them to be (or where the organization needs them to be for maximum success), get some feedback from others and build a plan to begin tearing down those walls or barriers.

When the Walls Come Tumbling Down

Your walls likely are less obvious than the Berlin wall, and the changes that come with tearing them down may not occur as quickly, but believe me, as you identify your personal walls and begin tearing them down, you will begin to observe new results.

Regardless of the nature of the wall you have built, tearing it down will result in:

Improved working relationships
Greater respect and credibility for you
Better problem solving
Greater organizational and individual productivity
Increased employee retention
Higher morale
Better Customer service
Fewer frustrations
Lower organizational stress
Greater results

When the Berlin wall fell, the world changed. As you identify the walls you have erected and subsequently knock them down, your world will change too - and change for the better.