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I’m cranky about the state of leadership in America. And, I have been for a long time. Our leadership is in a sorry state. From industry to government, education, sports, the church, entertainment, and beyond.
There are all kinds of bad examples from those in positions of power: ethics breaches, selfish and self-serving priorities, over-emphasis on the bottom line, lack of empathy, abundance of ego, more ego, bullying behavior and subtle (or not-so-subtle) put-downs, blaming, arrogance, punishment over coaching, competition over collaboration, and a general lack of engagement and connection.
I see this all the time. It feels so sad – and unnecessary.
When I started to explore my crankiness a couple of years ago, I conducted a survey. I asked participants to describe wonderful, amazing leaders they had encountered over the course of their lives and careers. I wanted to learn about knowledgeable leaders who inspire and motivate. I asked professors and graduate students, clients, colleagues and friends. What I found was a lot of silence – most people had not directly encountered such leaders. And these days it feels worse. I just don’t meet many people who love their leader or organization.
Why? Certainly not for lack of access to information and training – whether from graduate schools, coaches, books, podcasts, workshops, videos…
I think fundamentally, we don’t understand leadership.
We mistakenly ascribe external, physical attributes as prerequisites for leadership – things like gender (generally, male), education (MBA), height (tall), race (white), family background (you get the idea). This is a very biased – and ineffective – way of choosing leaders. And we are suffering for it.
Back around the turn of the twentieth century, common leadership theory was that leaders were born, not made – the so-called “Great Man Theory.” Remnants of this skewed perspective remain, well over a hundred years later. It’s no coincidence that all of our presidents have been male; all but one have been white, and eight out of the last 10 have been over six feet tall (would have been nine if “W” had been a half-inch taller). It is part of the reason we have a man like Donald Trump in the office. Folks couldn’t (or wouldn’t) look past the façade (tall, blonde, rich, TV personality) for true leadership talent.
Why is it that white men continue to have a monopoly on the perception of what it takes to be a good leader? What we end up with feels left-brain skewed (analytical, methodical) and missing out on other talents and perspectives (creative, intuitive). And how is that working for us?
What comes to mind is dancing. Think of the last wedding you attended. I’ll bet there were some people on the dance floor who technically could do the steps, but were dancing from their head. They keep time, but come across as awkward and inauthentic. Others dance from their souls, and the specific technicalities don’t matter; you can feel it. Big difference.
And the difference is showing in our workplaces: the Gallup organization’s State of the Workplace report found that only one in five employees strongly agree that their leaders are setting a good direction. Only 15% strongly agree that their leaders are making them excited about the future of their company. Only 13% strongly agree that their leaders are effectively communicating with the organization. What a mess!
So, here is what I propose we need more of from our leaders:
Invitation to Leaders #1: Collaborate and Connect
Too many still equate successful leading with what it takes to be successful in the classroom, i.e., having the right answer first. And, they think they are supposed to have all the answers in their role as “leader.” Leaders like this stunt the growth and confidence of those around them. In fact, good leaders make space for others to grow. In the workplace, there is not always just one right answer.
A good leader sees beyond what’s simply in front of them. They know what to look for, how to recognize talent. I’ve known leaders who have thrown out otherwise capable people because they are not performing at the moment. Organizations and teams are more successful when people are in roles that match their strengths. Like too many of our schools, leaders put people into perceived ability groups: ‘talented / not talented’ or ‘very smart, kind of smart, not smart’ – and assign tasks accordingly. And workers grow disengaged.
It’s all about the leadership – athletes shift from underperforming to overachieving, just by moving to a different team. I’ve known leaders who see something in someone who is sitting in the corner, dusty and dejected; in time, that person is successfully leading others.
Invitation to Leaders #2: Include Female Perspective
I’ve been a leadership coach for 37 years; you would think nothing would shock me. But when Hillary Clinton ran for president, I could not believe the amount of misogyny that existed in our country. The bias against her even from liberal media that equated her sins with those of Donald Trump; James Comey’s need to scold her and her campaign even as he was exonerating her. I could go on (and on).
Women’s leadership is dismissed, ignored and criticized (by men and women) far more often than men’s. Yet, our perspective is so desperately needed. I’m convinced we would make much different decisions – from which players need to be traded, to whether and when to go to war.
Invitation to Leaders #3: Be Brave
At the top of the list of cowards and punks (this is what I call them when speaking to my husband) are so many members of the U.S. Congress. Most of them – on both sides of the aisle – are afraid to lose their seats if they speak against the president. Really? Would they be unable to get another job? It seems to me this is a pretty educated and experienced group. So, this means they would rather enjoy a position of power at the expense of the lives of Americans. How big must the hole in their psyche be, to choose ego and worship of a façade as identity, over doing the job of public service and saving lives? This lack of courage is also in spaces where I work – and it is getting worse.
Invitation to Leaders #4: Relate to Whole Persons
Organizations have less and less loyalty to the people who work there – they are merely cogs in a wheel. The relationship is transactional. Despite good-sounding values on walls and websites, the behavior of senior executives does not evidence it. Hence, employees will not speak up against a leader for fear of losing their job or not getting a promotion. It’s easier to go to work and get a paycheck than run the risk of wrestling with a powerful leader who is better politically. As research-educator-author Steven Covey (b. 1932 – d. 2012) wrote, U.S. workers have become disconnected from their work and organizations, with no idea how they fit in. Independence is prioritized over inter-dependence, and workers are not seen as whole persons with minds, hearts and spirits. Sound familiar?
Invitation to Leaders #5: Prioritize Positive Morals
We can do better than to focus on the bottom line at the expense of compassion and empathy. Leaders are rewarded for short-term results, not how they do their work or manage their teams. If you’re making money for the company, scoring touchdowns, having success at the box office, getting votes, and so on, bad behavior is overlooked.
No wonder I’m cranky!
We can all do so much better.
For sure, the responsibility lies at the feet of those who are in positions of power. And, those of us who are not in leadership positions also have a role to play. We can know the truth. We can know our truth. If we’re only giving half of our gifts and talents (as is typically the case) and our leaders are not seeing our strengths, over time that can affect how we see ourselves.
So, know yourself, know your capabilities. What’s your personal brand? What’s your purpose? Are you working to live up to it? (A couple of resources as a starting point: Simon Sinek’s TED talk, inviting us all to investigate our ‘why;’ and the Clifton Strengths Assessment.) Surround yourself with people who ‘get’ you and believe in you, even while you can’t control who your immediate supervisor is at the moment. Show up as a peer at work, not as a compliant child; you can push back in ways that do not lead to losing your job. At the center, believe in yourself, and put yourself in environments where you can thrive. Find inspiration and courage wherever you can.
Learn about Veronica’s senior leadership coaching business, VJ Holcomb Associates, Inc.
To reach Veronica directly: veronica@vjholcomb.com