"If you are a boss, ask yourself: When you look back at how you've treated followers, peers, and superiors, in their eyes, will you have earned the right to be proud of yourself? Or will they believe that you ought to be ashamed of yourself and be embarrassed by how you have trampled others' dignity day after day?"
- Robert I. Sutton
Fear
For those that believe they are "great leaders" and have so much experience and "always know the answers" I have some bad news for you.
You have created a corporate culture rife with fear.
Yes you have.
Your arrogance and "coaching" are not perceived the way you've convinced yourself that they are. Your teams are not being honest with you, they are worried about losing their jobs, and the fact that you are "always right" simply adds fuel to the culture bonfire you've created.
You Can't Change
Well, maybe you can change. But I suspect it will be the most difficult thing you've ever done in your career, and here's why.
You have to actively infuse humility into who you are as a leader.
I'm not talking about dropping a bunch of leadership jargon on the team. I'm not talking about employee feedback sessions that you facilitate and get the comments that you were expecting all along.
Newsflash! They are not going to tell you their truth. They will continue to bleed quietly and "accept" your reality.
As the high value team members slip away, and you continue to behave in the exact same way year after year, it makes me wonder how much longer the tired excuses can be used to justify the same results?
How About You
What would it take for you to really change your style? Perhaps if you were threatened with your position? Maybe if you publicly fell flat on your face and your team, despite their feelings about how you treat them, rallied to support you?
What would it take for you to get over yourself?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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I've been working for a long time. Well, actually, for a really long time, and most of that has been in leadership. Some of the "virtues" of leadership I learned early on were to never show weakness or be indecisive, because...
weakness = career over
indecisive = zero respect
I'm guessing that mindset is not unique to the healthcare industry.
However, I would suggest there is a different competency out there that is a far cry from the commonplace failings of weakness and the inability to make a decision.
Vulnerability.
- "open to criticism"
New Leaders
Once upon a time I was a new leader eager to climb the corporate health system ladder. I wanted to try new approaches, use new technologies, and take risks. For some reason I've always been enamored with risk!
...which doesn't make me sound like an HR guy...but whatever...
What I often ran into though was a large group of old-school leaders: bright, successful people who had no interest in doing anything differently, ever.
I quickly grew frustrated with what turned out to be my perception of these folks...what they considered their "strengths" I considered to be an "out of touch" view. What they thought of as "steady and consistent" I soon labeled as "stale."
Fast forward to today...am I'm asking myself if the young leaders in the world of work look at you and me that way?
Are we out of touch and stale?
New Expectations
I'm convinced now more than ever that not only is effective leadership about staying current with industry trends, technology, and employee expectations as they shift and modulate over time. But also to show something else...
...our vulnerable side.
How many of us equate being vulnerable with weakness?
How many of us see a direct link between loss of credibility and being vulnerable?
How many of us are obsessed with maintaining our perceived power as leaders?
Consider the impact of being real and showing our human side to the employees in our organizations. Do you think they will connect with us more? Might they see beyond our fancy job title and lofty position on the maze of boxes on the org chart?
Maybe, just maybe, they will believe in us and want to stay and be part of something special.
How About You
How do you show your human side at work? Perhaps embracing vulnerability, and leveraging it as a true leadership competency is the missing piece in your approach.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
Loyal - "unswerving in allegiance"
Then
There was a time when employees were thankful to have a good job, working for a good company, one that would 'take care' of them for the duration of their career. It seems to me however, there was an imbalance between the organization and the employees who worked hard for those companies to grow and prosper.
It's as if the popular mindset of employers as all-powerful beings that controlled one's entire future was real. Did those loyal employees actually feel that way; or, was it some sort of cultural power play that tricked employees into believing they had to feel loyal or some grave outcome would surely befall them?
While I have tremendous respect for those individuals who feel so deeply connected to the mission of their organizations that they couldn't imagine leaving, that is not what I see playing out in the contemporary world of work.
Now
I think we've had our view of the employer / employee relationship completely backwards for years.
Yes, bold leadership is absolutely essential if an organization is going to be successful.
However, the burden on leadership is not only to be provide effective decision-making, but also to be equally as focused on their relationship with the people on the team.
When leadership believes they are always the smartest people in the room, that organization has begun a death spiral.
Arrogance never plays well.
Never.
Ever.
Ever.
How About You
When we ask our employees to give us their souls, we sure as hell better be prepared to give them everything we have in return. That does not mean imparting our wisdom as if it is some sort of divine message.
Rather, it is a mandate that we stay connected, listen, respect, support and by all means ensure that our team feels valued. Absent that, we will be just another organization that had great potential, but the leadership team screwed it up.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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At this point in my career I find them laughable. You can see them coming a mile away. They strut around the organization with such arrogance...um, I mean, confidence...that most employees don't take them seriously anymore.
The sad part is they have no idea they have become a caricature of their former self. They are a running joke, not a leader to be taken seriously.
Stop It...Please
Most leaders landed in their jobs the old fashioned way. They studied hard, worked even harder, and earned their opportunity. Some may have been promoted too soon, and others a bit too late. Regardless of the timing, they have a tremendous responsibility ahead of them.
Yet...somehow their sense of self over powers that early hunger that forged their career path. They act as if the employees should be so excited and grateful just to see them!
Are you kidding me? Sure, some executives cling to their humble roots and create environments where all employees recognize they are just people. But, alas, so many others lose their way and believe they are the reason for the company's success.
Epic. Public. Fail.
Give Me Three Steps
I firmly believe there are three steps that can help executives move from zero to hero, but they require discipline. Massive amounts of discipline.
Step 1
Admit you don't know NEARLY as much as you think you do. Guess who does? Your team on the front line. Close your mouth and start listening to them. Your sheltered executive world is not in synch with reality.
Step 2
Recognize the responsibility you have to lead through turbulent times. Every organization experiences the ups and downs of the business world. When times are stressful, full of change, and rife with anxiety, it is your job to be calm, and honest and direct. Do not hide behind a spreadsheet in a fancy conference room. Communicate far more than you think is necessary.
Step 3
Get the hell out of your office and visit with the team. Do not bring a slide deck, do not spread a message, and please do not attempt to spin every little phrase into an over scrubbed empty promise.
Just be with them.
Your credibility will increase far faster than the next big memo you're so excited about sending to everyone.
How About You
The next time you feel a little (or a lot!) full of yourself, cancel your next meeting, and go spend time listening to the team.
It might turn out that you learn something and actually make a real difference for the people who are relying on you to lead the way.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
