Do You Lead With a Selfie Stick?

Remember the good old days, back in 2013 before selfie sticks? Remember what it was like if we wanted a picture of ourselves with a beautiful backdrop? Remember when we had to ask for someone else’s help?

Sure, selfie sticks are convenient. They encourage self-reliance, individuality, the relinquishing of pride (because clearly if you’re using one – you’re secure and open to ridicule). But what if leaders adopt a selfie stick mentality? Or worse, what if the selfie stick is actually encouraging the death of collaboration?

We know, to be a successful leader and achieve big results, we must collaborate and work well with our team. But this can be a challenge. It can be a messy process to ask for input, listen, and consider other’s points of view. The alternative can be an attractive path — less muss, less fuss.

Leaders taking the selfie stick route tend to follow these five rules.

Don’t wait: get it done now

In the pre-selfie stick world we had to wait patiently for someone to come along to take the picture. We had to stop, take a breath and wait a moment.

Sometimes that moment was very beneficial. Sometimes the cooling off period made for a better shot. Maybe it forced us to consider if the picture was worth it. Maybe it made us consider the best angle for the shot.

Now, we live in a world of snap and go. That speed is a luxury. But does it deliver the best outcome?

Don’t ask for help: go it alone

Pre-selfie stick we had to put ourselves out there, speak to strangers and ask for help. It was a little nerve-wracking even for the extroverts among us. We had to be vulnerable in public. We had to admit we couldn’t do it all alone.

Now, we’re able to handle it all by ourselves. We aren’t required to rely on anyone else. But, even with a selfie stick, how perfectly can anyone frame a shot alone?

Don’t trust: protect what’s yours

Once we found someone to help pre-selfie stick, we had to hand the camera over to a complete stranger. We had to either trust that this person wasn’t going to run off with our equipment or know that we could catch them if they did. We had to delegate and then trust that if things went “off the rails” we had the skills to right the wrongs.

Now, we can keep everyone else’s grimy mitts off our stuff. We don’t have to trust; we don’t have to regroup if things don’t work out. We get to protect what’s ours.

Don’t mentor: just do it yourself

Pre-selfie stick we often had to help the volunteer photographer understand how to operate the camera. It was necessary to take a bit of time to show him or her how to properly use the equipment.

Not anymore though. Now it’s much faster when we just do it alone – there’s no need to take a moment to show someone else something new. There’s no need to lead forward.

Don’t surrender control: get the perfect shot

Sometimes pre-selfie stick the picture that we got wasn’t exactly how we might have taken it. We were forced to see the moment from someone else’s perspective. We were forced to see ourselves from someone else’s perspective.

But now we can take as many pictures as we want to ensure we capture our vision perfectly, and the world sees our best side. We get to keep control and maintain our image. We aren’t required to consider any other point of view.

While leading with a selfie stick seems like a quicker way to accomplish tasks, certainly the quality of the resulting product is called into question. There’s little doubt that a photo taken by a trusted, trained, and empowered photographer is much better than anything you could hope to capture with a $20 plastic stick.

Perhaps a better strategy is to provide a vision and invite others to participate in the process of making it happen.