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The High Cost and Prevalence of Leadership Cowardice and Ignorance

September 16, 2014

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The High Cost and Prevalence of Leadership Cowardice and Ignorance

I am dismayed and frustrated at the prevalence of leadership cowardice and ignorance, and its resulting high cost.

As an executive coach I find that most of the cases I undertake, whilst warranted, are exacerbated by a more senior leader failing to be clear, decisive and timely in bringing the critical issues to the attention of the executive.

Interestingly, the executives’ critical issues are often a reflection of the senior leaders’ own issues.

These critical issues are usually:

  • Lack of effective assertiveness – it’s easy be assertive, and less to be effectively assertive.
  • Inability to hold people to account (often the inability to conduct a difficult conversation).
  • Reluctance to delegate – sometimes related to the next point.
  • Seeking to be liked more than respected.
  • Unwilling to be vulnerable – fear of being seen as wrong, or not knowing.
  • Time-management – related to the points above.
  • Lacking in leadership presence – unaware of how they come across to their people.
  • Indecisiveness – related to vulnerability.
  • Unable to effectively engage with people – more comfortable focus on management functions.

It all came to a head when the executive fails to deliver and makes the senior leader look bad.

Only then does the senior leader take action.

On inspiring occasions, when I engage with the senior leader, as I always do, I gain the opportunity to help the senior leader as well.

Then magic happens for the organisation. There’s nothing more inspiring than a senior leader becoming enlightened and engaging authentically and effectively with her or his people.

Too often insistence on working solely with the offending executive prevails.

My experience is that in 80% of the coaching engagements the desired benefits flow for both the executive and the organisation. I coach the executive to effectively influence upwards as well.

The remaining 20% leads to the executive voluntarily moving on, to their benefit and to the organisation’s loss. On those latter occasions I’ve noticed the senior leader also eventually goes and the organisation suffers again.

I’m suggesting that 80% is not good enough.

If my experience of the 80/20 rule is common, then the cost of that 20% is unacceptable to the organisation and the economy.

These are the minimal cost areas:

  • Loss of talent – not just the executive or senior leader (eventually), but other talent who see and leave.
  • Loss of employee engagement.
  • Loss of performance.
  • Loss of productivity.

I believe the root causes are:

  • Giving in to the fear of being clear, decisive and timely with the executive (cowardice).
  • Not knowing how to conduct the difficult conversation (ignorance).

Too frequently it is a cultural norm that these causes are present (organisational habit).

What do you think? Am I being too hard?

Perhaps I’m not convincing the senior leader as well as I could?

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