What Happens When Leaders Don't Lead
Have you ever wondered what happens when leaders don't lead? In this episode, Andrea and Michelle dive into the consequences of a lack of leadership, from decreased morale to organizational chaos. You will learn the strategies for recovering and finding better ways to lead with clarity and success.
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Expand Your Leadership Skills.
Basic Leadership Tasks: What Leaders Need to Be Doing
What are the basic leadership tasks, abilities, and responsibilities that you need to do to move your company forward? And why isn’t your leadership working the way you want it to?
On this episode of The Leadership Hustle Podcast, Andrea Fredrickson and Michelle Hill explore the often overlooked yet crucial tasks and responsibilities that leaders should be implementing in order to grow the organization and have a more engaged team.
While years of experience helping companies improve their leadership skills are the most common things that affect business and that leaders take for granted or forget to implement in their daily operations.
1. Not Having Difficult Conversations (Or Having Them Too Late)
Difficult conversations are an inevitable part of leadership. Whether it's addressing performance issues, discussing layoffs, or resolving conflicts, leaders often avoid these conversations until it's too late.
Pushing back these issues until it is too late or avoiding them altogether can lead to employees feeling stressed or not important since their issues are being overlooked.
Also, not responding to issues at the right time and avoiding uncomfortable conversations can make the problem bigger and bigger until it is too costly to fix or resolve with a simple conversation.
Consider this scenario: you have a team member who consistently fails to execute their tasks correctly, which in turn forces other team members to spend valuable time rectifying these errors. This not only disrupts the workflow but also results in delays for your entire team.
By postponing the necessary conversation with this underperforming team member, the quality of your work could suffer, leading to missed deadlines and, ultimately in dissatisfied client who decides to cut ties with your organization.
2. Not Stepping Up to Be the Leader
Employees look to their leaders for guidance and inspiration. If leaders fail to step up and take charge, it can create a sense of uncertainty and lack of direction among team members. This lack of clear direction can later lead to decreased productivity and morale.
Leadership is not merely about occupying a position; it's about stepping up, taking responsibility, and driving the team toward shared goals. Leaders are the captains of their ships. Their actions, decisions, and attitudes significantly impact the team's overall performance. Leaders must embody the values they want to see in their team, setting a positive example that motivates others to perform their best.
3. Not Having Healthy Resolution Mechanisms
Conflict is natural in any organization or any palace where humans interact, conflict is bound to happen, and leaders need to be prepared. The absence of healthy resolution mechanisms can lead to a toxic work environment. When conflicts or issues arise and are not addressed appropriately, it can breed resentment and mistrust among team members.
How leaders handle conflict determines the health and productivity of their teams. Leaders need to establish healthy resolution mechanisms, encouraging open dialogue and fostering a culture of understanding and mutual respect. This approach not only resolves issues effectively but also strengthens team dynamics.
4. Not Leading on Purpose
Leading with intention is crucial. If your leadership style is merely routine, adhering to pre-established processes and procedures without critical evaluation, then it lacks intentionality.
Being a leader with a clear purpose goes beyond the mundane. It involves confronting challenges proactively, making informed decisions consistently, and understanding the rationale behind existing practices. Purposeful leaders don't just follow the status quo; they question, analyze, and, if necessary, innovate to improve upon established systems.
5. Not Committing to the Plan
A clear, well-defined plan provides a roadmap for success. However, without commitment, even the best plans can falter. Leaders, CEOs, and directors often plan ahead and make a yearly program, but they don’t stick to it, often leading to time lost, underperformance and lack of vision.
Leaders must not only devise strategic plans but also commit to them. This commitment inspires trust and confidence in the team, driving them towards shared objectives. Leading with purpose means continually striving for better outcomes, fostering growth, and inspiring your team to do the same.
6. Not Asking for Help
No man is an island. There will be times when external assistance is necessary to overcome certain challenges or gain fresh perspectives. Leaders who fail to ask for help when needed may find their problems escalating; it can result in poor decision-making due to the lack of diverse perspectives and expertise. This isolation can also foster a culture where team members hesitate to ask for assistance, leading to stagnation and unresolved issues. Seeking help isn't a sign of weakness; it's a demonstration of willingness to learn and grow.
Improve Your Leadership
In conclusion, effective leadership is a blend of many factors. By addressing these commonly overlooked areas, leaders can create a thriving work environment that fosters growth, innovation, and high performance.
Remember, the path to successful leadership begins with acknowledging and addressing these gaps.
Need help scaling your leadership skills and taking your team to the next level? Contact Revela today to start improving your team's performance and your business success.
About the Hosts
Andrea Fredrickson
Andrea Fredrickson is a thought leader and consultant at Revela, an organization based in Omaha, Nebraska specializing in the development of leaders, culture alignment, and business strategy for private and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness. Andrea has built an amazing team by believing that fundamentally people want to be successful and become better versions of themselves.
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Andrea has degrees in education, management, and business. She is the author of Insight Unseen; How to lead with 20/20 business vision. She helps people see things differently, self-reflect, and never stop looking for ways to improve themselves on a personal and professional level. Andrea has spent more than 30 years researching and developing methods to help people communicate and lead more effectively.
When Andrea isn’t working with clients, you’ll find her spending time with her family & friends and making memories by exploring new cities.
Michelle Hill
Michelle Hill is a master facilitator and coach at Revela, an organization specializing in the development of leaders and aligning the culture of privately held and family businesses of all sizes. Revela is one of the region's most experienced thought challengers, helping individuals and companies find their greatness.
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An ambitious leader, Michelle has the natural ability to create forward momentum to build teams and get results. She inspires others to look within themselves and to challenge the status quo. She helps create high-performing environments. Michelle brings a diverse background: operations, employee development, and sales in the steel, hospitality, and consulting industries.
Outside of work, you will see her competitive side engaged in her daughter’s sports and ISU athletics. She loves life, her four-legged companions, and captures all the moments through her camera’s lens.
TRANSCRIPT
Andrea Frederickson: What happens when leaders don't lead. On this episode of The Leadership Puzzle, we'll discuss some of the signs and symptoms of leaders who aren't leading. Hello and welcome to the Leadership Puzzle. For executives whose companies are growing fast and need leaders who are ready.