Where We Are Now and Why?

In prolonged periods of peace it is easier for poor military leaders to survive, and sometimes thrive. Under the pressure of real conflict, the weak leaders reveal themselves and are pushed aside in the urgency of responding to real threat.

We seem to see the same phenomenon in our business leaders. During the good times, many average or even below average leaders were elevated beyond their capacity for good leadership. They received compensation that appeared to be highly elevated over the actual contributions they were making. Many achieved their positions through finesse, political maneuvering or bullying rather than substance, integrity or business acumen. Also, too many of our truly talented, high-potential leaders were promoted without the seasoning and experience they needed to weather our current situation.

Teamwork, collaboration, “can do”, short term thinking, revenue at whatever the cost, greed were all rewarded. We evolved our leaders to exhibit behaviors that would please their bosses, not rock the boat, and simply get through and grab whatever was available to grab.

The pressure for profit and growth were intense. Quality and customer service suffered as our leaders looked for more and more ways to take money out of the system. Common sense, good decision skills (ability to weigh consequences) and long-term thinking atrophied.

We now need fearless decision-makers who understand that they must build strength in their organizations for the future. Instead, we have many who are frozen, who cannot spend or execute against recovery. Instead of developing our leaders against this void, people are attempting to hide, lay low, and avoid notice until the storm passes. The result: stagnation and a lengthening of the downturn.

This is not an isolated issue. We cannot blame our economic mess on one industry or a handful of leaders. The problems that started the dominoes falling abide in all of our businesses, our schools and our families.

It is a way of thinking, and yes, it is a leadership issue. Think about the people you know, whether they are family, peers, subordinates, or your boss. How good are they at being completely honest, no matter the personal cost? How good are they at making the decision that improves the long term viability of the organization, family, or business unit as opposed to making everyone happy or doing everything possible to make each week, month or quarterly numbers look good? How focused are they on winning versus doing what’s right? What risks are they willing to take if it makes them more vulnerable in the short term? How about you?

Not only do we need to turn around a bad situation, but we need to do so with few of our leaders fully prepared to do what it takes.

Recognizing the Leadership Issue-the slippery slope

Our leaders are smart and possibly better educated than ever before. They are also capable of being vain and arrogant about their abilities. Once a person achieves positional power, they are often compelled to believe that they deserve it and to hang onto that power regardless of their real capacity to lead. Hubris may be our biggest single issue.

As unprepared leaders react to bad times, they often try to force their own agenda even when they don’t really know what to do. They drag themselves and the organization through their inept decision-making as long as they are allowed to do so. They attempt to fake it (even to themselves), but while the lengthening economic downturn offers some cover, eventually it becomes apparent that they simply are not skilled enough to bend reality.

The longer they remain in power without intervention, the farther down the slope the organization will slide. They may bluster or talk tough, but they are frequently risk averse. The problem is that they are what they are; unformed and untested and often not open or curious enough to learn.

How Should We Respond?

If we accept that we might be leadership “challenged” in the midst of the most intense economic downturn in many of our professional lives, what can we do?

The most important thing that all of us can do is to stay real. If you know that you are in over your head, acknowledge it (at least to yourself). There is no shame in being ill-prepared for crisis. To pretend and to force your will when you are unsure is the greater offense, by far.

You may need a different kind of preparation than is currently taught in most of our Leadership Development. There are fundamentals that underpin leadership, just as the basics of holding the golf club properly, knowing how to stand, and following through on your swing underpin good golfing. Until you truly understand those basics, you may not understand how to fix your leadership issues, made evident by hard times.

One never completely masters leadership. It is an ongoing process that might be compared to climbing a circular staircase. You may constantly feel as if you have passed this particular view before, but you are looking at it from a different level each time. Economic downturn may force you to advance faster than you might otherwise have done.

If it all becomes too overwhelming, ask for help, and stick to the following three rules:

* 1. Lead from confidence. If you are feeling insecure, slow down, regroup, and find yourself before you act.
* 2. Seek clarity. Open yourself to whatever messages or help is available. Be curious whenever you don’t know what the right answer is.
* 3. Trust that you will have what you need when you need it. If you can’t see it, look harder. It will be there.

Summary

The economic downturn is painful evidence of our ability to be fooled and controlled by people who have not been properly equipped for their roles. Our current situation was partially created by a whole culture of Leadership that allowed itself to get deeper and deeper into a mess that was obviously going out of control.

We will come out of this. Our choice is to learn the lessons revealed by the situation, and make-ready for the next cycle. The military plays war games. Perhaps our businesses, after we survive this crisis, should learn to do the same to determine who is and who is not really ready to lead.

©Toni Lynn Chinoy

Toni Lynn Chinoy is the founder of Harlan-Evans, Inc, a twenty three year old training and consulting firm, known for its ability to surface and solve root issues to success, at the individual and group level. She has a long history of working with Fortune 500 corporations and understands how to help leaders optimize their strengths and evolve their weaknesses.

Check out some of her books and training materials at our website; Harlan Evans, Inc

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