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The Price We Pay as a Result of Weak Leadership

Quiet quitting is the topic of great discussion among the Human Resource industry and bosses should take note. Retention in the workplace remains as high a priority to focus on as ever and I have some insights as to why.

When we have statistics like 30% of new hires leave their positions within the first 90 days, we know the value of getting the right people in the right roles is super important. We also know that turnover costs companies big bucks; averaging 50% of the employees annual salary at a minimum. If you are a small business owner, this will almost send you to bankruptcy. We simply have to help businesses get it right. Well, “How?” you might ask…Good. I happen to have an answer: Develop your Leaders. Keep growing. Remember, school is never out for the pro.

It’s all about Leadership.

The strength of the boss to develop, train, set expectations, communicate, delegate, provide autonomy where needed, motivate and create esprit de corps is a big load, no doubt. It’s a reason why not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Not everyone can be a boss…nor should you. But most can gain great benefit from being a more competent leader.

The very best way to lose people is by lacking in engagement, inspiration and a balanced amount of collaborative accountability. People don’t like to follow people that are weak. There’s a saying, “A herd of sheep could be lead by a lion, but a pack of lions will never be lead by a sheep”. The sheep will be eaten up in a hot second! When there’s an obvious open door to leadership weakness, you better believe that others will come running right through it to take advantage of the opportunity. Fallout, attacks, arguments and at best, disunity occurs.

Let’s talk for a minute about the price we pay for weak leadership. Particularly a leader that lacks engagement, inspiration and collaborative accountability.

  1. When a leader, boss, or coach lacks engagement, the team is left in limbo. Those on the team who are confident, will take initiative, try new things, jump in to work or play and probably be OK finding their way independently. They will ask questions to get the answers they need for what they don’t understand or yet know. A person who takes initiative may also take risks unnecessarily unless of course they have analyzed the pitfalls to those risks. They will also find others to communicate with for best practices and look at history, possibly referring back to job descriptions, or remembering some of what was discussed during the interview and interpret the information in a way they are comfortableexecuting. However, those on the team that may be a bit more hesitant, self critical, lack autonomy and risk taking ability, will likely become quickly frustrated as inertia sets in. Their brain causes them to over-analyze all the scenarios of what they should or shouldn’t do, they become more self conscious about taking any action, and they often end up blaming the boss for their discontent. Thus, they move on to the next job in search of “competent leadership” knowingly or not. Occasionally, this very scenario can play out with far worse results ending in chaos, blame and disruption to an entire organization or team…refer to my opening statement of this costing you 50% of just 1 person’s salary. That’s a hefty lesson to learn. It could also cost you losing your #1 player and when that happens, the entire team loses.
  2. Let’s look at the importance of being <or NOT being> an inspiring leader. Inspiration comes from within. Granted some leaders allow their success, their history, scores and records to speak for themselves, but a truly great leader always demonstrates this trait. By not doing so, you tend to fall too far into a behavior of authoritarianism or even plain dismissal of “assuming the role”. Sometimes, people truly don’t want the leadership role or at least when first given, they embrace it with a kind of blinded hope that they might grow into it. As time goes on, the reality becomes clear that the appointed leader lacks the ability to inspire others; this is evident due to either having wisdom about the subject, ability to clearly communicate what needs to be done, convey certainty, be organized or a simple lack of motivation to care. Perhaps they are conflicted with other more important duties or arising personal issues. The team may never know, but one thing is true: they lose. And so does the leader.
  3. When faced with a collaborative opportunity; one that involves receiving other’ opinions, perspective, or input, a good leader should take it. And always take full responsibility for your own decisions. It is those that disregard the collaboration process that often create a divisive environment, either unknowingly or purposefully. When there is no accountability between coach and team, boss and employee, there is also no trust. Trust is paramount to synergy and what is often referred to as the Big Mo! Momentum is a key to growth and excitement. Momentum takes a team further than any of them could have ever gone alone. It is indeed sad to see these three incompetencies lacking in so many leaders.

So we see that there is a price we all pay when a leader lacks certain qualities paramount to the role at hand. I am not referring to a gap or shortcomings and yes, of course some leaders are always stronger in certain areas than others. I am referring to the leader who lacks these three behaviors, tendencies, and traits that hinder their effectiveness. Mind you, this is generally assessed within the first week or two of life on the job. A CFO is not automatically a good CEO. A business owner of 1 or 2 employees is very different from one scaling to having 10 or more to manage. And a coach may be a great athlete in the sport they are coaching but a horrible coach of a team. Let’s grow rich in leadership competencies that are fulfilling for both the leader AND the team? These are the businesses and teams that thrive!

Have you ever had to work for an incompetent leader and what did you learn?