Untrustworthy? Poor communication/listening? Micromanaging? Selfishness? Uncaring/Demeaning? When I ask people about the worst leaders they worked for, these are some descriptions I receive.
Many people believe if you fix these things you will be a better leader. We go to seminars and listen to podcasts (mine included) looking for answers. We read blogs and articles and books about improving in all these areas. “The 12 Skills Leaders Need to…”
The solutions presented are treatments to the symptoms of a disease that runs deeper. I believe the root issue needs to be identified so the treatment plan can actually change the leader and not just treat the symptom.
The Root Cause of Bad Leadership?
In two recent blogs, the copious comments in Linkedin groups, on Twitter and on the blogs themselves illustrated to me that we do not go deep enough into the heart of leadership when we try to address what causes bad leadership.
Read those blogs by clicking on the titles below:
I heard stories of horrific micromanagers where people blamed the issue on the leader’s lack of trust. I also received comments that stated the most important tool a leader needs to use when problem solving is listening.
YES! I agree! But why?
Why is trust an issue? Why is poor communication an issue? Why is listening an issue? Why is micromanagement an issue? Why is selfishness an issue? Why do leaders seem uncaring? Why do they demean people?
Fear and Pride Are The Roots of Bad Leadership
I truly believe 90% of bad leadership stories can be boiled down to the root cause of FEAR and/or PRIDE.
Trust
FEAR: I must have courage to take a risk and trust someone. It takes ZERO courage to distrust.
PRIDE: I must be humble enough to trust that someone else may do something as well or better than I do. Not believing this is pride out of control.
Aside: The topic of building trust has become a niche industry in the leader development business. There are books by Ken Blanchard, the Covey group and Patrick Lencioni that all point to trust being foundational to relationships and teams. They are great resources on the issue of trust.
Communication/Listening
FEAR: I must have the courage to engage in productive conflict. Avoiding conflict because it makes me uncomfortable is a lack of courage.
PRIDE: I must be ready to admit I am wrong in order to reach the best solution. Fighting just to win is a pride issue.
Micromanaging
FEAR: I must delegate and let people make mistakes so they can learn and grow. Not letting anyone on my team fail because of how it may make me look is a lack of courage.
PRIDE: I must be willing to let others perform tasks in their own way and believe there is more than my way to do things well. The “My way or the highway” technique proves my pride will not allow me to entertain that there might be another way.
Selfishness
FEAR: I must believe that making others look good and giving them credit will reflect well on me as a leader. Not giving away credit because that may mean they are promoted off my team, or they may take my job is a cowardly act.
PRIDE: I must shine the spotlight on my team and not on myself at every opportunity. Fighting for the spotlight and recognition is a sad display of pride (and insecurity) run amuck.
Uncaring/Demeaning
FEAR: I must believe that taking the time to add value to others and improving their day is a sign of strength and confidence. Being overbearing because I want respect, is a cowardly way to get the respect I desire.
PRIDE: I must believe that serving before expecting to be served is my role as a leader. The mindset that those I lead are here for me, builds compliant people who follow the rules. But, it will never create committed followers.
The Bottom Line:
When diagnosing what is happening when we see bad leadership, we often say the problems are the behaviors. If we fix the behaviors, we will fix the leader. But, the real fix runs a lot deeper than training people how to act trustworthy or how to listen better.
Just because I know how to lift weights and do other exercises to improve my fitness, does not mean I have the internal drive to exercise. The same goes for the root cause of bad leadership.
Most bad leaders know what they should do to be a better leader. But, there is something missing in their character that prevents them from leading as they should.
Fear and pride are the root of most leadership issues. Conversely, COURAGE and HUMILITY are the foundation that creates Leaders of Character who build trust, communicate and listen well, avoid micromanaging, serve first, and truly add value to the people they lead.
Question:
What would happen if we focused on developing courage and remaining humble? Do you think that would fix these leadership issues?
Not much new in this business and this is one I hadn’t thought of or come across. Excellent insight. Thanks, Dave, for making me think about it.
Bill
Thank you Bill! It is a topic I have been thinking about for awhile. It seems to strike a chord with many.
I like how you emphasize the importance of perspective in your ability to be successful. I heard once that if all you have are negative thoughts, eventually negative things are going to happen. This doesn’t mean that life is going to be easy, but your perspective matters.
My dad used to say, “Your attitude is a choice. Make a different choice.”
Great article! I couldn’t agree more. I’d add that in many cases, the technically brilliant individual contributor is promoted to a leadership role and consequently expects everyone to work like he or she does. Oh, and they have had very little experiential development to practice and learn new skills.
Pride is a killer to leadership for sure. If I won by doing it my way; why would I risk trying to learn something to have others do it another way?
I would also add that “Bossification” copyright pending, is dynamic that assaults trust no matter how good you are. Once you become responsible for bonuses, performance reviews etc. open communication and trust, usually around issues of conflict start to diminish.
Keep it up. Great reading.
Bossification is a great term!
Great quick (but insightful) read. Right on the mark too. I’ve always said this - true leadership can not be faked. Yes - there are ways to treat (or mask) the symptoms to make it look like you are a leader - but you will be found out eventually when things get tough. You must truly believe in others and in yourself. True leadership is from within - if your internal psyche is not wired accordingly, then you must first address this issue - rather than faking it. Thanks - Bill ’85