Seven times in the last three weeks. That is not a good thing. Seven different people commented to me about their direct supervisor being a poor leader. Seven different people. Seven different supervisors. Seven different places of employment. Seven different industries.
In each instance, I asked questions and engaged in discussion. No one told me that their boss was bad at the technical aspects of the job, which is great because that is what each of the organizations are based on. The technical aspect is what they provide to their customers and clients. Instead, they made comments like, “He just does not realize that his ideas are not the only ones, and certainly not always the best ones,” and, “He hired me for a reason, I wish he would let me do what I need to do,” and, “She does not seem to fully understand that if we weren’t here, she would not get nearly as much accomplished,” and, “He does nothing to make this team cohesive and more powerful together than each of us are as individuals.”
I do not believe that any of these people strive to be poor leaders. Instead, I believe they were likely put into leadership roles because they were good at their craft. They were good at whatever it is that their organization does, or their department does. However, when people are promoted into leadership roles because they are good at the technical parts of their job, that does not always equate to also being good at leading people. They can improve though. Leadership can be practiced and developed for those who want that. The problem arises when the people who are put into leadership roles are not given resources to grow the leading people part of their role, or when they don’t recognize or admit they need help in that way. Then they end up with, at best, teams that are not as effective as they could be, and at the very worst, teams that are so dysfunctional that they are hurting instead of helping the organization and carry that negativity into other aspects of their lives. Putting someone in a leadership role because they are good at their craft but not giving them resources and encouraging them to develop the leadership part is doing a major disservice.
Consider this. When someone starts a business, it is most often because they have something to offer others. They are typically knowledgeable and good at whatever it is they offer as a product or service. Someone who starts a yoga studio often does so because he or she loves yoga and wants others to experience it. A person who starts an accounting office is usually trained in accounting. A business takes so much more than just the technical, or craft, part of the work. It takes bookkeeping, marketing, record keeping, technology, legal, and more. The person who starts the business is usually not the expert in all these areas, so it is not uncommon for them to hire others to assist in areas they are not knowledgeable in. However, leadership is not often thought of as an area that outside help can be of value. But it should be. Just as you might hire an attorney to advise on legal matters, or a bookkeeper to assist with the financials, leadership is an important area to invest in as well.
Why are people less likely to invest in their leadership than in other areas they need help? Maybe because they do not understand the tremendous value that good leadership has for an organization. Maybe because they will not admit there is a problem. Maybe they will not admit it because they do not know about, or recognize, the problem. After all, there are things we don’t even know that we don’t know.
Those seven conversations were about people in leadership positions who have potential to positively influence enormous numbers of people through incredible leadership. But they aren’t influencing others and are wasting potential. The things good leaders can achieve go far beyond creating a productive team. The influence of a good leader stretches into homes and lives of people well beyond the boundaries of their team. If you are in a leadership role, what if you are one of those seven people, or the countless numbers of others out there just like them? Are you humble enough, insightful enough, and care enough about your team to admit you could use leadership help?
The world is desperate for better leadership. The potential that exists for people to step into their roles and truly lead is overwhelming. We just need more people to choose to dive in and grow in their own leadership.