The First Failures of Leadership and Management

By Kai Rambow

At the end of conducting a communication and management program, a young military leader wanted some strategies on how to deal with one of his superiors. Apparently this particular superior officer loved saying, "Well I had to deal with bad superiors. That's how you'll have to earn your rank too. This is the military. You'll just have to suck it up."

While this happened in the military, I've heard similar comments in business as well. In each instance, it reflects the first failures of leadership.

Failure #1 - "I had bad managers, so should you."

Everywhere people are looking for good leaders. Unfortunately they are hard to find. Really good managers and leaders learn from bad ones as to what not to do.

The notion that one learns from bad experience is often over rated. The reality is most people who have a bad boss just hate going to work and are not as productive as they could be. Bad management and bad leadership simply gets in the way of getting work done.

If you have any doubt about this, I have yet to meet a parent who would want their children to experience their trials and tribulations growing up. Most parents want their children to have a good experience growing up. Most managers should want their subordinates to have a good, productive day at work.

Failure #2 - "I'm lazy."

The only way someone becomes a good manager or leader is to work on it. There is an old expression, "If you're green, you're growing. If you're ripe, you're rotting." True professionals, regardless of their chosen profession, are constantly learning and growing. The only reason someone doesn't is he or she is lazy.

Developing one's skills and abilities as manager requires work. Not bothering to do anything is the easy, the lazy way out. Anyone can do nothing.

Lazy managers cost organizations money. Professional speaker Darren Jacklin's mantra has been for years, "People don't quit their jobs, they quit their managers." A company's best employees are usually the ones to quit first.

Failure #3 - "I'm a manager. Hear me roar."

There are, unfortunately, too many managers who are in love with themselves. They assume because they were hired or promoted into a position, they must be right. The assumption is that the title makes one a leader.

Whenever I hear someone say, "I'm a great manager," I always ask, "How do you know?" The usual response is, "I just know." When I mention I could do a really quick 360 degree assessment, "Oh no, that's not necessary," is the answer.

A 360 degree assessment is a tool which rates one's skills and abilities. The same tool is then filled in by those who report to or work with you. Differences between your perception of yourself and others perception of you emerge.

Competent and skilled managers actually look forward to these kinds of reports as an opportunity to become better.

Being Informed is the Beginning

If you're frustrated by your immediate boss, understanding their motivations or lack of motivation, can be helpful in dealing with them. These are some of the basic failures of leadership and management.

Now you'll be able to much more easily identify what is happening in your workplace or even in your everyday shopping experiences. Observe, learn, and of course, if you're a manager use those experiences to become a better manager and leader.

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