Do You Have The Right People Leading?

Do You Have the Right People Leading Your People?
…What if you Don’t?

I was recently inspired by a Gallup Organization article that talks about how organizations continue to get it wrong. Of course this caught my attention! The more I read through the article the more I resonated with the information, realizing that the content was about one of the topics that I have been talking about in my newsletters…. Performance! The Gallup article focused in on the leader specifically, and with that I wanted to share some some additional insights and strategies on this topic.

As someone who is passionate about performance management and understands how improvement strategies, when implemented, favorably impacts overall employee performance and results. Optimal performance is critical for organizations to have any chance of meeting their objectives, and they can’t do it without their employees doing the right things, and feeling good about their contribution in return.

I truly see powerful opportunities for organizations to evaluate and strengthen their leadership mindset, and take steps to choose the right individuals who have the behaviors that are aligned with their corporate values and the ability to achieve results.

We continue to hear the phrase: “people leave managers, not companies”. The statistics state that the decision-makers in organizations spend billions of dollars on everything but hiring the right managers, such as increased compensation, benefits, perks, to try to fix employee moral and turnover. Say what? To me this is staggering. What is getting in the way of these talented individuals from choosing the right leaders? I wish to share a few scenarios that I have witnessed inside organizations that I have worked with:

– There are “grand-fathered” long term leaders who have many years of intel that many feel is critical;
– Some individuals have expressed interest to be in leadership and feel that they are owed the opportunity;
– The belief that the best technical specialists will make the best leaders;
– There is history. Friendships are established and performance is “untouchable”.

Unfortunately, in these scenarios it is hit and miss whether these individuals will thrive if they have not proven their ability to achieve success through others, build rapport and trust of their peers and teams, and demonstrate a high level of accountability to the organization for their successes and failures. For the misses, by then it is too late, there are disgruntled clients, missed revenue targets, low employee engagement, morale, and high turnover validated by low scores on employee engagement surveys and performance reviews. It is a mess, and organizations shy away from taking a critical look and action at the root cause: how their leaders are leading. Does this sound familiar?

I would like to offer a theory that many senior decision-makers in organizations lack the ability, or the belief that it is necessary, to gain consensus or clarity which important skills, experience, and behaviors that their leaders need to deliver on their biggest objectives, and those that cultivate the culture of the organization.

So, if this is the case, or, if organizations know what they are looking for in a leader but do not consistently evaluate and make hiring decisions against established criteria it will be left to chance. Creating these criteria is a large undertaking for an organization, and for those organizations who might be ready to consider a look, the following are some high value behaviors and competencies that will provoke some thought:

Creates clear direction for their team	Influence by increasing impact
Coach all employees to achieve their best performance	Integrity and honesty
Model the behaviors and attitudes expected of everyone	Create effective teams that deliver on the objectives
Partner to develop networks and strategic relationships	Authentic and honest communication with peers and team
Strategic thinking	Open-minded to learn and try new things
Sponsor to create a productive and positive work environment	Focus on results, performance targets are continually achieved

When desired leadership behaviors and competencies are established, organizations will benefit by identifying the performance-based criteria to complement their Performance Management, Recruitment, Succession Plan or Leadership Development Program, such that leaders:

…. know what is expected of them, not only what work must get done but also how it gets done. Performance expectations are clarified, agreed upon, and they are aligned to organization vision, strategy and goals.
…. are capable to perform the work. They have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to achieve the results required.
…. are supported in the physical environment in which work is done. They have the information and tools required to do the job.
…. have the willingness to hold themselves accountable for quality work and achieving agreed upon results.
…. create and maintain positive and healthy interactions that foster productive relationships that have a profound impact on performance outcomes.

When organizations get more serious about establishing which behaviors and competencies they require in their leaders they will experience a higher level of team cohesiveness, collaboration, employee engagement, and better bottom line results. If a great amount of leader change is required this isn’t an easy undertaking but it can be transformational. Leaders need to greatly enhance their communication with all levels of the organization during this process. They will need to listen and understand how their people are feeling, with genuine care and concern, and an absence of defensiveness. When people really believe that their leaders are genuine, they will transition to the next phase and be ready commit to what’s next.

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