Your weak leadership moments are a disaster to your company’s long-term mission and culture. True?
By: Gordon Patrick Newell
Tags: Coaching, Management, Improvement, Business, Leadership

So you reckon you’re a good leader? Your MBA, drop-in sports team captaincy and ego tick all the boxes, right? Plus, I forgot to mention, you say all the right things to those above you in the food chain at work? Congratulations. I have nothing more to teach you, my work here is done. You and your company are destined for the top.

Maybe.

How many times have you stuck your head in the sand? Ignored integrity because it felt awkward? Or been the ego that suffocates the company mission, culture and — most importantly — the team?

Here’s a little story from a client. Take from it what you will.

She was working as a senior manager in a tech firm last year. The firm is growing exponentially. The senior management work out of a US valley and visit the satellite offices around North America periodically.

Lots of changes were taking place and this particular satellite office was being visited by a director outside of my clients immediate 'silo’, 'vertical’, 'chain of command’… a boss person from another department.

This director, according to her story, was pretty arrogant. Full of themselves. ‘Fun’ passive aggressive. Communicated terribly. Knowledgeable about their skill-set (great!) but coupled with a massive ego (oh no..). Seemed to be floating around on the laurels of their MBA certificate and European wine knowledge. I’m sure you get the picture, these people walk amongst us..

The visit purpose was to plan for changes to the satellite office. Visit came and went and my clients important perspectives on prospective operational changes (she being the primary eyes-and-ears on the ground in the local ecosystem) were ignored. No surprise considering the director’s personality.

And so the client reported this to her own director. Who listened — and did nothing to push forward the many, valid perspectives. Head in the sand time for whatever reason..

Yes, a familiar story.

The changes promoted by the ego-driven director subsequently occurred and my client’s input was ignored. The staff on the ground in the satellite office had no choice and no say, so much for change management theory etc.

End of story?

Maybe. And definitely maybe if you only think in short-termism. How about going macro on this and thinking strategically?

I’m sure you’re already ahead of me on some of this.

You see, going to business school and being good in your individual skill doesn’t make you a leader. Being arrogant — and not listening to others— doesn’t make you strong. And having concerns voiced to you by your team, which may conflict with a peer colleague surely warrants discussions? Not taking it up with your fellow director in this case is essentially weak. For a zillion reasons.

You sow the seeds of work problems and work-culture doom at the times leadership doesn’t address this kind of thing in the right way. If this is going wrong, other things are likely to be too. Improvements take humility.

Your people — your staff — are your greatest asset, without them you’re just another horse in the race. And guess what — another company is the favorite and (strategically) going to be the winner because they understand their team and culture better.

Some solutions? Start with asking yourself these obvious but important questions:

What are the benefits of having discussions with your subject matter experts? What happens if you ignore them? How in your role as a senior leader can you empower those around you? Even if employees don’t report to you, they see YOU as a leader. Earn your money, lead them too. What can you do right now to get out of your ego-comfort zone? What can you learn from those 'below' you in the company pecking order?

Clearly my client has a point. She left the company and has accelerated to an executive role in a rival tech firm. Why would you hang around in an environment where the leaders say they are all about the company mission and culture, but reality is different? It takes more than a foosball table and free meals to make a team. I know, we did it in the military with neither of the above.

Incidentally, the original firm continues to grow, but how much MORE could it accelerate, both fiscally and holistically if the leadership culture was really and truly empowering, the management had the moral courage, integrity and humility to do what is right MORE OF THE TIME?

True leadership is hard work. It’s an ever-learning quest to improve on. As a leadership adviser and coach I work with my clients to open up the visibility on their shortcomings so they can accelerate quickly and overtake the opposition. These realities are not a diluted version via classroom teaching but discussed and developed alongside them on the job.

If you want the tactical and strategic advantage to win the business battle and the business war, don’t rely on your education, limited work leadership experience and your captaincy of your local beach volleyball team. Do more. Improve daily.

Work with a coach (me!) and see what you can really be. I guarantee you will become better.

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