Understanding how to Lead Effectively Is Vital

Have you ever worked with or for someone who was an ineffective leader? Worse do you know someone who was a great employee, but when this person received a new responsibility or a job promotion, the title or the responsibility changed them? We know that ineffective leaders decrease morale and decrease productivity. But when the ineffective leader was once a trusted colleague the repercussions often end in job termination for effective employees and this is only part of the fall out.
Being an effective leader at any level means that you have the ability to look beyond the moment and to consider that every action taken has a reaction. That reaction can cause long lasting effects that either may positively or negatively outlast the individual who started the action. I have worked with many organizations and people who have been mindful of their actions and how what they do will play out into the future for both the employees and the company. I have also seen those who seem oblivious of how their actions and the recourse their actions will have on the company or the people they supervise.
In the past two months, I have been from Orlando to DC to Houston and talked on Leading Without Authority, Recruiting and Change at different locations. During the course of these travels I have had the opportunity to be in a position like the Undercover Boss or Mystery Shopper for a company and not only watched but experienced firsthand the fallout when an employee who was promoted from within, attempted to manage, and refused to seek help. It is as if this person, who was once a part of the team, suddenly had a personality transformation for the worse. This involved, caring individual crumbled under the pressure, they became insensitive and blind to the needs of the people they were to manage. It left everyone confused including the new manager. There are many reasons why this alleged personality change occurred. The new manager had a wealth of knowledge on the service or product they provided, but lacked an understanding of how to manage people or how to apply critical thinking skills.
Increased responsibilities either help us demonstrate our skills or demonstrate our insecurities that result in poor decisions. Being placed in a position that gives us responsibilities, but fails to empower us only adds to insecurities and a sense of helplessness. (It is possible to be an effective leader without authority but that is for another newsletter). For a novice leader insecurities or inadequate preparation can cause them to feel disempowered. In the case I worked, the new manager took the position of fighting and was cruel and demeaning to formerly loyal employees and colleagues. While I was there to perform this task the managers attempts to gain authority were belittling and made me want to leave, but I had to remember I had a choice and I was trying to help a company solve a problems so I stayed and listened. I did try some mild interjections to keep my cover, when the individual used threats and fear as a technique to gain compliance. Threats and fear are not only an ineffective motivators, but at best they are only temporary.
As was predictable the person I was observing was driven by their own fear and the realization that they were not pleasing the people that work for them, thus they attempted to play a dangerous game in hopes that he or she would be considered in-expendable. The reality is we are expendable. The new manager engaged in the YES game. Saying yes to the person who gave them the position or the authority in the hopes that pleasing their boss, will guarantee some job security while they are making big mistakes everywhere else. For some that I have observed they have sold their soul and lost themselves, perhaps forever. Yet people assume that if they just try to get on the good side of the person that promoted them, then they will be more secure. If that is the case, then the new manager really needs to do some personal examination to see why he or she is having insecurities or doubts and is hesitant to speak up and to use their knowledge. The person is attempting to lead with authority but is leading without skill and the repercussions are many. Regardless of the insecurities of the new manager or the strategy, being taken a poor leader creates big problems for those they lead. The manager and the employees all struggle to find their place and during this time productivity plummets, mutual respect vanishes, and morale hits bottom.
So what can be done? For the new manager, much needs to be done to assure that they are willing to take the risk to speak up for their position, to gain clarity and to assess if they are in the right role. Once I had collected a few days to determine consistency in behaviors in different situations, it was obvious that personal coaching was needed if we were save the department and this individual. In addition, understanding how to communicate effectively, education on personality styles and then just basic leadership skills to get them started. This was an awesome project and the individual and the department have the possibility to move forward. But there are other situations where companies don’t get the inside scoop only the human resource department starts to notice that there is a commonality to people who are asking to move out of a department or who are being let go, when in the past they had been considered a good employee.

So what are you doing to keep productivity and morale up when other factors are working to decrease it. How are you helping your leaders to stay effective and assuring that they are getting the help they need to help motivate and retain existing employees? Be careful the choices you make, because you may be held accountable and have to take responsibility for them.

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May you have a great start to 2010. Hope to see you soon!
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Upcoming Events:
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Port St. Lucie, FL - June 2010
June 28th Fire Inspectors Conference – Keynote on Personalities in the Workplace
Breakout session – Managing Time before it Manages You.
August –25-28 Private Facilitating Business Planning Retreat in Palm Beach Gardens
October 11 – Dallas HR Conference – Coping with Diversity of Change.
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