I have found a classification of people in the performing arts called 'accidental administrators.' They are the people who trained to be actors, or directors, or some specific aspect of theater, and ended up being the person in charge of the organization. When I ask these people about their journey, I usually get the same response; they decided to do the things that no one else wanted to because these things had to be done.
So they became the accidental leader of an organization. They didn't plan, prepare or desire to be the person in charge. They just found themselves there because of who they are, because of the type of person they are.
Sometimes this leads to a level of Imposter Syndrome, and even malcontented staff surrounding theses individuals who say 'who put them in charge?'
The answer I tell those disgruntled workers is: You did. And they did. They chose to make the organization work, because it had to be done and no one else would do it. They saw what needed to be done, and did it.
When companies begin - the lines between job descriptions and duties are fairly fluid. Individuals need to do what must be done to make a new organization survive. As a company grows, it's needs change and everyone must adapt to the constant changes. Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as making a commitment to code everyday, which is a goal he has had to step away from as the realities of being the CEO of a large company change.
​The main quality I find from these accidental leaders (and in full disclosure, I identify with this group) is that they adapt to the needs of the changing organization as time goes on. Accidental Leaders are still leaders, and they are not stuck in amber waiting for the next ice age. They listen, react in  real time, and adapt to the changing situation either by training themselves, or finding the support they need to make a dream come true. They are quintessential problem solvers, who see the end result and goal and reach for the dream.

When you are hiring, how can you identify these individuals? Look for the person who has been doing work outside the scope of their training. That shows they are doing whatever they can to be successful. And test them on problem solving. The ability to adapt and change in real time is a key skill.

How can you develop these skills in the staff you already have? Provide training in the skills of improvisation. It can lead them to higher levels of listening, critical thinking and problem solving as well as leadership development.

Don't let accidental leaders believe that it is all coincidental that they are where they are. It is who they are that makes them leaders.

For more information and workshops of Leadership Development - click here for Andrew's workshops.

A number of years ago, I listened to a lecture about the three areas of knowledge:

1. Things you know: these are things that you can readily access. How to ride a bike, how to change a tire, etc. Actions or topics or ideas that you have first hand experience with and that you can say 'I know about this..."
2. Things you know you don't know: these are things that you are aware that you do not know anything about. Brain surgery - I know about it, and I also know I have no knowledge of what to do, or how to do it. The key is, I do know about it. I also know I know nothing about it.
3. Things you don't know that you don't know: this is the body of ideas, concepts, actions, etc that you are not even aware of that you have no knowledge of. It's the wide world out there that is COMPLETELY unknown to you in every way..

So often, when I am doing workshops on Innovation, people are striving hard to find that elusive third group: things they don't even know that they don't know. This is in a impossible task, and a waste of time. If you spend hours and hours saying 'I have to find that new idea that doesn't exist that I don't even know how to begin thinking about that I have no frame of reference for....' you set yourself up for failure.

In fact, it is impossible. When we learn something new, we actually make a reference in our heads to something we already know. We categorize new knowledge based on previous experiences. So our brains are wired to make connections between items and to find commonalities.

To me this is the key to innovation; Driving those connections that a re possible deeper and deeper and making more remote, obscure connections to find something new. Instead of connecting on topics, can you connect based on shapes, or sounds, or style. This is how architects create new building designs based on a  bird's wing, or business managers create new processes based on a  board game. You have to be open to making those connections, and finding new pathways in your brain between two (or more) odd items. That connection leads to innovation.

So - don't waste you time trying to find something you don't know anything about. Use what you have, and accept and build on what you already know.

Click here for more information of Andrew's workshops on innovation and the uses of Yes, and in the workplace.