Leadership Examined

Leadership: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Leadership is challenging in good times, and even more so in difficult ones. The demands of leadership are great and the task daunting. Few are born to it, yet many have it thrust upon them. Leaders usually come out of the rank and file and have a passion for the work and/or the position. Others become leaders by default. Regardless of the route taken, the position brings a myriad of challenges. There have been numerous times when I’ve facilitated training sessions with working teams where new ideas and concepts are discovered and new energy emerges. I have seen respect for co-workers soar, and teams come together. In my business, these are the times one lives for. In these sessions, the reverie of new-found "teamness" or growth is invariably interrupted with the realization there is someone missing: their boss. Many times I have had someone lament the fact that so much wonderful growth and discovery is happening and the person who needs to be there the most, isn’t. Usually the lament takes one of two tones. The first is a sense of longing for the boss to have the new information that the employees now have, so they can share it and together make a better workplace. This always strikes me as sad. To think that some manager, somewhere, has missed a golden opportunity to grow and bond with their staff is regrettable. Those wonderful people who aspire to make their workplace better are denied the opportunity. They quickly see the flaw in their plan, when they realize that without their supervisor on board, the changes needed to implement the new ideas won’t happen. The second version of this lament is not so warm and fuzzy. This is the angry one, blurted out in hostile tones, letting out ancient, pent-up hostilities and frustrations—the stories of hideous, incompetent, ugly human beings, who are "the boss." I often wonder how these people made their way up through the ranks and manage to lose touch so badly with the rank and file. These leaders have a few things in common: There is an inability to understand the needs of their staff. These people seem out of touch with what their staff requires to be satisfied with their work, and to do their job well. Although it may seem obvious to others, it isn’t to them. They have a serious lack of communication skills. Somewhere along the way they lost touch with the way to effectively communicate with others, especially their staff. This deficiency is often due to an inability to listen. A general aloofness or distance kept between themselves and the people that they manage. Usually there is a lot of misunderstanding on both sides, and the longer it goes on, the worse it gets. There’s a saying: "If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten." Many managers keep doing things the same way and hope for different and better results. Unfortunately, almost the opposite is true. The more they do things the same way, the worse things get. Their staff see them as difficult, intransigent and oppressive. Many people find themselves in the awkward position of having to do their job in spite of their boss. Some pray for their boss to take a day off so they can catch up on their work. I have heard of bosses who are so utterly unable to communicate goals or vision to their staff that they are in serious danger of losing their agency. Just recently I have heard of organizations on the brink of disaster because of bad management. If so many people are terrible at being leaders, there must be some tricks to doing it. There are. But it’s not rocket science. What can a manager or supervisor do if they suspect that they are the source of the problem? How can they become more effective leaders? A change of attitude is needed by everyone. But it’s especially important in difficult times that the leader, manager, or supervisor take a good look at themselves and their management style and resolve to set a positive tone for the changes to come. A positive attitude goes a long way to ameliorating bad feelings. Getting staff involved in problem solving is one of the best ways to rekindle a sense of enthusiasm and good relations between staff and management. Asking for and accepting staff input is often very successful in turning the tide on workplace relationships. And finally, when working groups and teams create goals and visions together, there is a greater sense of togetherness in the organization. Setting aside time to do some visioning and goal setting with your staff is an excellent way to build strong relationships between leaders and staff. Of course, the leader must participate in these activities, or you’re back to square one. The leader must assist and contribute to the forming of goals. It is also important that the leader clarify how everyone plays a part in attaining an organization’s goals. Clear, concise communication around goals and strategies will do wonders for the effectiveness of working teams and the leader.

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