At one time or another, many of us have had that rare opportunity to follow a leader who personified the definition of leadership; someone who we would follow to the ends of the earth and beyond. That individual had some trait, some characteristic, that sparked your passions and devotion to a cause and you were willing to do whatever it took to further the cause. It’s easy to learn from leaders or this sort. We recognize what they did that inspired us and resolve to do the same things to inspire others.
Unfortunately, each of us has also had that all too common experience of being lead by someone who did it all wrong; who failed to inspire; who, as one person put it, “couldn’t lead a bunch of kids into a candy store”. It’s easy to adopt the initial reaction of “I don’t want to learn any of this person’s leadership skills”. But, let’s think about that reaction for a moment and see if a different perspective helps us learn something positive.
What was it about the poor leader that “turned off” our willingness to follow? Can we learn from this experience to determine behaviors that we don’t want to display when leading others? To illustrate, let me give an example of two leaders I’ve had in my life at different times. To protect their privacy, I’ll simply refer to them as “Leader #1” and Leader #2.
Leader #1, when you asked if he would talk with you about something, would immediately set aside what he was working on, literally clearing his desk so that he could give you his undivided attention. He’d instruct the receptionist to hold his calls. While his door might still be open, anyone coming to that door would be waved away; a gesture understood by everyone in the office to mean “this person and I are talking; please don’t interrupt”. Leader #1 spent time with you until you indicated that the conversation could be ended.
Leader #2, on the other hand, would invite you into his office when you asked for time; usher you to his conference table; and, take his cell phone from his pocket and sit it on the table where he could look at it simply by glancing down. When his cell phone rang, he’d think nothing of answering it while you were talking. If he received a text message, he’d read it and frequently respond to it while you were talking. If the receptionist announced a call, he would often walk over to his desk and pick up his telephone to take the call … while you were talking.
Which leader made you feel important? Which leader demonstrated that he was there to help you? Which leader would you rather follow?
The answer to that third and last question tells you what kind of leader you want to be. While Leader #2 was a poor leader, he taught you something about how to lead by showing you how not to lead.
A team is only as good as the weakest staff member. Its up to the leader to make sure each team member has all the equipment and information they need to do the job. The leader also sets the example the team will follow. I once had a boss who was just a ouple of years from retirement and he acted like it! He came in late every morning, hated being bothered with job related questions or problems, and was frequently seen watching movies on his laptop in his office. He couldn’t understand why the team’s overall performance was mediocre and morale didn’t exist. He was a great example of what NOT to do as a leader!
Cathy, you are absolutely right. A person in a leadership position who suffers from “short-timer’s disease” sets a poor example for the troops and damages morale. However, he/she DOES serve as an example of how NOT to lead and thereby provides a good lesson in leadership to those who learn from it.