Leadership: The hard look

“The fish rots from the head down.”

If this quote resonates when you think about your boss, but doesn’t seem to apply when you think about those under your leadership…it’s time to have an honest talk with yourself.

But how do you dig under the surface of your leadership defaults in order to distinguish the diamonds from the rocks?

There’s an AA saying, “you spot it, you got it.” Start with the task of appraising the leadership practices of your boss. What would you do differently if you were in his or her position? What actions (or inaction) on their part produce insufficient or unhealthy results? This part is easy, it’s human nature to armchair quarterback. We don’t have to be trained in back seat driving. Unfortunately, this is as far as most of us are willing to go. We make uninformed judgments on how things would be different if we were calling the shots. This phenomenon is easily seen in the political arena, as newcomers promise the moon before they understand the give and take necessary for getting anything done in our government.

So, let’s say you’re one of the few leaders willing to take the next step. It’s time to begin the more difficult and unpleasant chore of pealing the layer of your critique off of your supervisor and placing it on top of your own leadership skills.  If you’re fortunate, you have a friend, co-worker or spouse who can be honest in helping you see where the critiques match up. In those cases, you’re fortunate in that you’ve already figured out how you can improve your deficiencies. You solved those when you were expounding on how you would do things differently. Simply switch the names. Instead of your boss’ name, insert your own.

Our faults and shortcomings in leadership are typically only elusive to us. Fortunately, you have folks under you who think they could do a much better job than you. Take them out to lunch and give them your ear. It will help you grow, and might even give you a different perspective on your boss.

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