Categories
Recent Posts
- Meaningful Harassment Training
- Put it in Writting
- Get A Receipt: How to stop employee misappropriation
- Focus on the Wins
- HALLOWEEN EDITION: CUES TO CALL A LAWYER
Archives
- December 2023
- October 2023
- May 2023
- February 2023
- October 2022
- August 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- January 2022
- June 2021
- May 2021
- December 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- June 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- September 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- January 2017
- October 2016
- September 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- August 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- March 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- November 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- October 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- May 2011
- March 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
Leadership
Posted on May 27, 2020 in Consulting
Today more than ever we need leaders to emerge in our workplace. Chris Akers, my executive coach, sparked this newsletter in a conversation about the concept of “a non-anxious presence.” The “non-anxious presence” stems from the teaching of Edwin Friedman and a book called Leadership in the Age of Quick Fix: A Failure of Nerve. See Friedman, Edwin H. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, Church Publishing Inc.
The book challenges conventional thought on leadership. It’s not an easy read but offers some great ideas at a time when every workplace needs strong leaders to help us persevere through COVID.
Leaders make bold decisions without the need for consensus
The best businesses will emerge strong from the current crisis because they have leaders who take bold actions not necessarily popular at the moment. Likeability does not define a leader; leadership should never be a popularity contest. Steve Jobs made this point clear: “If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader, sell ice cream”. Leaders embrace that significant decisions make some people upset.
Human Resource professionals need to support our leaders through tough and unpopular decisions. We need to ensure our leaders stay true to their values and give them all the tools they need to succeed.
Remember, consensus does not mean a decision, policy or practice is good. Governing to make everyone happy means the weakest will set the standard. Instead, we should lead by making strong decisive actions.
Leaders must refuse to allow weak team members to set the agenda
Leaders remove negative people from their organization. Times are tough. Yet, we should embrace the fact that difficult, cost-cutting economics creates the opportunity to rid a business of those who hold it back.
Recalcitrant and passive-aggressive people preclude change and growth. These negative personalities stop new ideas from fruition with protests and excuses: “we can’t do that” and “we have never done it that way”. The same people dominate a company’s time and energy. These are the problem-child employees who create a sink hole of time-suck and wasted resources. These negative characters set the agenda forcing management to work through troubles created by the weakest links in the organization.
When we return to a job-growth economy, leaders will preclude negative influencers from joining their organization.
Few people can lead
Too much effort is exhausted trying to train every worker to be a leader. We drain resources on team building with people who are emotionally unwilling to be teammates. Employers would be more successful if they focused on finding and developing the select few in the ranks for grooming.
Skills and leadership training has been cut across the board in the current economics. When training resumes, companies should focus their time and effort developing only the select few.
We will get through this together. Stronger leaders will emerge having overcome the challenge.