Recently friends have shared with me tales of leaders who led like steam shovels. Rather than taking the time to know an organization well, they and their cronies steamrolled over a large number of tried-and-true traditions and practices without any sensitivity to the organization's history, valued practices, investment, time, or money. Not only did this create disruption, but it also created oppressive change--the kind of change that doesn't respect people's time, effort, experience, or commitment.
Why did this happen? What can they do?
While I'm a big fan of timely change and development in organizations, I'm not a fan of top-down, oppressive dictates, I believe that those at the helm have to seriously consider and respect the efforts of all employees. When the workers on the front line are ignored, dismissed, or treated as insignificant rather than dedicated, experienced individuals, problems arise.
I thought more about this situation recognizing that I didn't know all the facts or share in all perspectives. As I thought about the situation, I recognized that this was one more event in a long series of top-down, disrespectful actions that began many leaders ago. The organization many years ago began to adopt more oppressive, less transparent, and somewhat sloppy practices. It seemed like many people in leadership roles began to ignore the nuts and bolts of leadership including apt hiring practices, financial reviews, role definitions, and an overall commitment to mission. Instead, it seemed like an unhealthy degree of ambition infiltrated many leadership positions rather than a sense of mission.
Why and how did this happen?
For starters, I think the unhealthy degree of ambition became a mainstay because the leadership roles were too big for anyone, so leaders had to choose what they would do and what they wouldn't do. Some leaders chose showy, popular, and perhaps dishonest actions rather than the duller, day-to-day work it takes to ensure that an organization is running with the ethics and efforts needed for respectful, successful operation.
Other leaders focused on the weeds of the organization rather than the big picture. Instead of putting trust in the many skilled employees hired to do the day-to-day work of the organization, these leaders began to micromanage. This micromanaging was not only disrespectful and demeaning to the experienced employees, but it also led to neglect when it came to the more important leadership role of maintaining the overall mission and vision of the organization. When any of us gets lost in the details, we often miss the big picture.
Further, many new leaders didn't pay attention to the organization's history or context. They began their leadership as if nothing had happened before. To ignore an organization's history sets leadership up for a fall right away. History is an important consideration when beginning leadership in any sphere.
So after many years of struggles that have added up to lots of wasted time, money, and capacity, how can an organization get back on track--what can they do?
For starters, you have to acknowledge the strengths--the aspects of the flailing organization that are strong and positive. Then you have to figure out how you'll keep the strengths strong as you repair the broken parts of the organization.
After that, identify what's broken and what went wrong. Typically with an organization that flails, the first wrong step is to lose sight of the collective mission and vision of the organization. Review that mission and vision to identify missteps. Also, identify who has been ignored, demeaned, dismissed, and treated poorly and unjustly in the organization--have leaders overstepped their roles by telling employees with expertise, commitment, and care what to do rather than trusting those members of the organization to do the work they are skilled and experienced at doing? Were top-down, demeaning directives used rather than the more supportive collaborative approaches that lead to win-win change and development?
As I thought about situations like this today, I thought about my own role in the organizations I currently belong to. How can I apply these ideas to those organizations to better our collaborative efforts to meet the organizations' vision and mission.
Change happens and change is important, but while change happens, it's integral to ensure that the change is ethical, inclusive, collaborative, respectful, and well directed. When leaders let their personal ambition trump mission and vision, problems occur, and too often that's the biggest problem when organizations flail or fail. Onward.