I heard a story this morning about the way mismanaged ego and ambition destroyed an organization. How and why did this happen?
Over time, the ego, misguided ambition, and sloth of a few took precedence while so many that dedicated their lives, energy, attention, and care were dismissed, disrespected, and ignored. Rather than work as a team with common protocols and mission, a few self-serving egomaniacs took control and caused grave disruption.
How and why did this happen?
Initially, I believe this started with too much of a laissez faire attitude amongst some who ignored the essential nuts and bolts of an organization. There's a reason why it's important to pay attention to organizational details such as the budget, bills, finances, credentials, employee reviews, paperwork, schedules, and other details that create the infrastructure of an organization. When leaders don't pay attention to those details, time-consuming, costly, hurtful errors occur. For example, some may steal money, others may obtain positions without required credentials, still more abuse their power, and those doing the good day-to-day work may be ignored, unsupported, and undervalued. Just as an untended house foundation can lead to a home's collapse, the same is true for an organization. When choosing organizational leaders, substance is more valuable than glitz. To focus on the glitz alone without attention to the essential nuts and bolts of an organization spells disaster.
Ideally, organizational leaders will have the following qualities:
- Practical knowledge of the details of an organization's work and a commitment to manage those details faithfully with the support of valued, credentialed experts.
- A commitment to the organization's mission and a willingness to work with all groups in an organization to regularly support the mission and review and revise together as needed.
- An ability to communicate and work with those within the organization and those that the organization serves with honesty, care, inclusion, and direction.
- Respect and knowledge of an organization's history.
- A commitment to both steady leadership with regard to the organization's essential foundation as well as a commitment to working with the organization to rightly develop the organization in positive ways.
When ego, sloth, and misguided ambition take over in an organization, organizations fail. Egos, laziness, and misguided ambition often put leadership's personal ambitions, interests, and ego ahead of the teamwork needed to make an organization thrive. This too-great ego, sloth, and misguided ambition often result in decisions that serve the leadership's personal needs for attention, popularity, pleasure, time, and financial success ahead of what's best for the organization overall.
How can organizations work against such destruction?
First, pay attention to the essential details of an organization so that cheating, corruption, disrespect, and wastefulness do not happen. When organizational leaders don't pay attention to the details in regular, consistent, accurate ways, there's room for the kinds of problems that lead to an organization's demise.
Next, keep the organization's mission front and center--make sure that everyone in the organization is contributing to the mission and working to update and revise the mission together as needed. When organizations get lost in the weeds and lose sight of their overall mission, grave errors occur.
Value, respect, and support the good people that make up the organization and are served by the organization. When organizational leaders rely on cliques and give some people attention while demeaning others, they create a deadly organizational culture. Organizational leaders have to find ways to work with all people within the organization with straightforward honesty, respect, and teamwork. Back-door deals, cliques, secrets, rule-breaking, and favoritism destroy organizational culture.
Honor the credentials, ideas, and good work of all within the organization. When organizational leaders dismiss their employees' good work and ideas, they endanger an organization's potential strength and sense of team. Sometimes organizational leaders get so high on their power and prestige, that they lose sight of the fact that organizational success relies on the support and good work of every employee.
Tackle the tough problems. Some leaders who are not harmful are also not helpful--they stay silent and safe while an organization falls apart. These leaders essentially save themselves rather than courageously working to save the organization. These leaders are cowardly and overall not positive for organizations.
Ego, misguided ambition, and laziness can truly destroy good organizations. Leaders with these qualities create big problems.
Years ago while on a search committee for a leader, I watched the team choose the leader with a more glitzy, popular resume rather than the candidate who clearly had done the good, hard work of successful leadership. The decision ended up being a poor decision since that leader did not last.
Choosing strong, committed, experienced leaders who are committed to both managing and leading organizations with respect, inclusion, and care is the way to go. Onward.