Handling Bullies in the Workplace

Leader’s Question:
I work for a large software company and one of our VPs is a complete bully and is known as such within the company but time and again, management says, “That’s just the way he is”.  What do you recommend?

Bonnie’s Answer:

That is a tough situation.  I wish I had a little more information on who “management” is, but let me work with the general idea that you are talking about senior leadership and that they are not handling a serious behavior problem.  Not liking the way someone manages doesn’t make someone a bully, but if a person is using their position or power to harass , cause harm or in other ways pressure people to do something, that is a different story.  Here is a website that does a good job of covering Bullying: what is it?  Bully’s show up in all walks of life including corporate and the steps that you can and should take depend on the level of bullying and harm being done. Corporate bullies can push people around in small areas concerning job duties or the problem can be much worse involving sexual, financial, ethical or legal misconduct.

I realize you may have already taken some of these steps but let me say them for the sake of those who are starting from scratch:

1.    If the issue is not sexual, financial, ethical or legal misconduct and this is your VP and you report directly to him or her, the first place to start is with a carefully worded conversation directly with him or her. If the issue is sexual, financial, ethical or legal misconduct, go straight to your boss and then straight to the Human Resource leader assigned to your division.  

If you are going to have a discussion with the VP directly,  I recommend reading the book Crucial Conversations before tackling this conversation.  It has to be done in a way that keeps the communication lines open and does not feel that it is a threat in any way.  It is possible for leaders to make it to a high level without a lot of development.  They may be very technically adept, very charismatic or very connected.  For whatever reason, they make it to the top without getting the rough edges smoothed out.  Sometimes, they just need their bad behavior pointed out in a kind and thoughtful way so that they have the opportunity to make corrections.   I know a leader like this.  He’s never been developed.  He came out of a difficult socio economic environment and all he’s ever known is to fight his way to the top.  Now that he’s at playing in the major leagues in business, he wants to be a good leader but honestly doesn’t know how.  When his behavior is pointed out as destructive, he gets defensive but if it is delivered in the right way, he does think about and then begins to make adjustments.  He is a “bully” that just needs some caring guidance and a little grace to get through it.  

Another way to give direct feedback is by participating in that VPs 360-degree survey.  This is an anonymous way to point out bad behavior and comment on its impact.  Be professional when you do it – no sarcasm or jabs.  Just be honest and helpful in how to make changes.  360s can be painful for the unaware so try to be helpful and not hurtful.  It is not a chance to get even.  It’s a chance to voice concerns.

Of course, the person may truly be a jerk and even the most careful delivery of the message that he/she is a behaving badly will cause retaliation.  You have to be prepared for this.  Make sure that you know exactly what message you want to deliver and practice.  For example,
                When you say things like “We’ll see who lasts longer” it comes across as a threat and causes my defenses to go up.  On the other hand, when you offered to help me with my project last week, that was very motivating.  I think you’ll get the best work from me with the latter tactic.

If he/she is open to feedback, this can become a healthy discussion.  At a minimum you have voiced your concern.  It isn’t fair to complain to others about someone if you have never voiced your concerns to the person directly.  This should be the first step whenever possible.  If he/she is not and you sense that retaliation is coming, you may want to document the conversation in a follow-up email restating what you already said so that there is no miscommunication about what you are trying to share.  Stay above the line and professional because if it ends up being his/her word against yours, you will need to have all of your ducks in a row.

2.    There are times when this isn’t possible to voice your concerns directly.  Perhaps the person is not your boss and your boss blocks you from having the conversation.  There are many ways you can get blocked inside of a corporate culture.  However, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with bullying that impacts you personally or professionally.  Step 2 is to take the problem to your boss, voice your concerns.  If you feel that nothing will be done, I recommend documenting the conversation with a follow-up email to say thank you for hearing my concerns about VP John Doe.  Then list the concerns that were stated so that you have documented record that you went to someone about the problem.

3.    If the problem continues and the harm warrants action, take it to the human resource department.  Start talking and don’t stop until someone pays attention.  Could you lose your job for being a whistle blower?  Maybe, but only temporarily.  There is a law to protect you.  Here is a link to learn more about the law:  http://www.whistleblowers.gov.   In general, I don’t like lawsuits and can think of only a few reasons that I would ever file one, but getting fired for doing the right thing is one of them.  

Bully’s eventually meet their match.  It may be someone who stands up to them or their bad behavior may eventually cause them to lose their job.  Either way, if you are being bullied at work, you do not have to put up with it. 

Send us your leadership questions and make it a great day!

Finding Ways to Stretch and Develop

Leader’s Question:  

I really want to get to the next level in my career.  I want to be a leader, but I don’t how to get there.  Any suggestions?

Bonnie’s Answer:

There is this argument that won’t go away.  Are leaders born or made?  I find it surprising that anyone would argue that some people are born leaders, but I will give on this.  Some people seem to be born with more confidence, intelligence and charm than others, and these characteristics can potentially help them become leaders.  However, they can also be a person’s downfall and so in the end, I stick to my belief that leaders are made, both by their own efforts and by the efforts of those committed to their success – family, coaches, mentors and champions.  By champions, I don’t mean a medal winner, although, in the world of sports, that would be true.  I mean a person at a higher level, who is willing to invest their time, resources and clout to pull you up.  Everyone needs a champion, but unfortunately, not everyone has one.

For example, a veteran champion water-skier may intentionally groom and mentor some young protégés.  A high-level woman leader may intentionally help a few young women make their way up the corporate ladder.  A judge may intentionally mentor a young lawyer.  A group of executives may choose a pool of high potential employees to mentor, coach, stretch and develop.  Yes, these individuals probably showed some promise on their own, but it is the champion’s attention, support, open doors, sphere of influence and rolodex that begins to clear the path for the high potentials.  In the incubator of the champion, the high-potentials bloom – like magic.  Would they have emerged from the pack without such focused attention?  Maybe,  maybe not, but they certainly would not have emerged as fast or have been as prepared if it weren’t for the champion in their lives.

Everyone needs a champion or a group of people to help them break through to the next level, but not everyone has that opportunity.  So how do people get to the next level – reach higher and higher levels of success – without the focused help of others to pull them up?  They create a way to go up higher by putting themselves in the company of those who are already at the next level.

• A young professional finds a way to work with, ride with, or assist managers and leaders at the next level of the company.
• A new preacher joins the staff of a powerful, successful minister to sit under his/her teaching, to learn and to practice.
• A girl’s basketball team who has conquered all of their immediate rivals goes after the boy’s teams in order to continue to stretch themselves and grow their skills.
• A beginning competition skier begins to follow and learn from a veteran who is better in the areas where he/she needs to grow.

There is no such thing as sitting still.  We are all either going forward or going backward.  One way we can up our game is to get in the company of those who are already at the next level.  If you look around and all of your friends are at the same or lower level than you (financially, professionally, spiritually, and physically), you are not stretching yourself.

If you want to go forward instead of backward, look around and determine areas where you need to stretch yourself.  Then find people who are at a level higher than you and intentionally spend time with them.  Realize that they may not be your champion.  They may not even know that you are endeavoring to learn from them, but just being around them will teach you to think in new ways, to break through mental and physical barriers.  Listen for nuggets that you can apply to your life.

Getting in the company of next-level leaders is almost always possible but realize you may have to work under them in order to get in their space.  You may not be invited as an equal.  So be willing to drive their car, be their caddy, take their class, and operate as their stand-in.  If you are helpful and available, you will be able to get time.  Consider it school.  Stretch yourself, grow, develop, and learn.  Whether or not you become a leader is up to you.  Those who choose to come up higher are the ones who lead.

Thoughts on Democratic Management

Leader’s Question:
Our company is considering moving to a more democratic management style as an alternative to top-down management.  What are your thoughts on this type of management?

Bonnie’s Answer:
The top-down management style, while still prevalent, is certainly being challenged today.  Gen Y is pressing on the corporate leaders and all of their management baggage.  They want to have a say and feel that they should be able to talk to leaders at all levels of the organization.  They also want feedback — constant feedback — from all levels.  In addition, technology is changing the way we work faster than companies can adjust.  Because of these issues, we are seeing the face of management change, although I cannot say I’ve ever seen a truly democratic management style in a corporation.  What we are seeing is more of a hybrid.

Top management sets strategic goals but then they work to get buy-in by engaging the workforce in the goals.  It’s still usually done after they are set, but still, it’s progress.  One example I worked on was a healthcare organization that wanted to change the medical staff structure.  This typically top-down organization engaged the medical staff leaders in the decision.  The reasons for the change were laid out and several meetings convened to try to come up with a new structure; however, the long-term leaders were comfortable and a new structure felt risky, so the democratic decision was that it simply wasn’t the right time to implement a new structure but that they would move toward it by setting up the future structure and move toward it as the current staff retired.

In order to successfully lead in a more democratic way, it’s important the organizational leaders know how to move things forward.  They still have to set a vision, create goals, sell the problems in order to get buy-in for solutions and then they have to be excellent influencers.  These skills are sophisticated and require savvy leaders.  It’s not an easier way but it should encourage more buy-in from the workforce.

When this type of leadership is done well, all stakeholders are engaged from the beginning.  This does not mean everyone gets to decide everything but that everyone is considered and has a voice even if only given the opportunity to fill out a survey or make a suggestion.  Key stakeholders then build out the plan to move forward with the leadership.  Finally, the decisions are implemented with key stakeholders continually advocating the reasons to move in this direction and to cascade the purpose down through the organization.

Shifting to this type of management is likely to cause complete chaos if done incorrectly, so it is important for leaders to be clear about their reasons for using this model and to have a sound plan for moving forward — one that engages the people that will be impacted.

See Through Barriers

Leader’s Question:  

Everything is so tumultuous in the markets and in my company that I’m almost afraid to make changes.  I feel stuck.  How do you help leaders get unstuck?

Bonnie’s Answer:

You are not alone.  We are seeing this scenario with many of our coaching clients.  It’s a crazy time, but how you weather the storm is really determined by how you think about it. Let me give you an example.

In the movie Larry Crowne, the main character is living his life and really enjoying his role as a team leader in a big box company.  All is going well until corporate downsizing forces the company to let him go.  In complete shock, Larry faces what seems to be an insurmountable number of barriers.  He can’t get a job because he doesn’t have a degree.  He’s divorced with no children.  He lives alone and he has a mortgage on a house in the suburbs.  He is in a downward spiral.  It’s at this point, seemingly his point of failure, that he begins to see through his barriers.  He decides to take the reins of his life and stop letting life decide where he’s going.

First, he goes to a university and begins to explore the idea of getting his degree.  Instead of wallowing in the troubles he is facing, he sets his sights on new goals while systematically dismantling his terrible financial situation.  He walks away from his house and mortgage, giving the papers to the bank, all neat and in order and then moves into a tiny but clean and safe apartment.  He sells his gas guzzling suburban and buys a moped, and then, he starts college for the first time in his life.  He starts over.

It’s hard to see when you’re in it, but many times you will find that the worst moments in your life and the best moments in your life turn out to be the same moments.  Unfortunately, this can only be understood in hindsight.  In order to turn your difficulties into opportunities, you have to begin to see through your barriers to the other side.  If you’ve lost your job, your home, your business or if you are facing another huge seemingly overwhelming barrier, it’s time to sit down and start thinking.  It’s time to get creative.  The end of one thing is the beginning of another.  It’s time to start over.

When I work with leaders and they are stuck, it is usually because they have a hold on something from the past and they are afraid to let go, something that was good but now it isn’t.  The problem is that until they let go of the past, they can’t reach for the future.  The barrier is that person’s own fear.  It’s time to stop holding on to the way things were.  The world has changed, and we have to change with it.  It’s time to start envisioning your new future – the future you want, not the one that your fears are trying to steer you toward.

How, you ask?  Well, you have to do something.  You’re future isn’t going to be what you want unless you are in the driver’s seat.  Sit down at your kitchen table and get a notepad.  Now, map out a plan to get from where you are to where you want to be.  Don’t stop until you have a plan.  Then, get to work on the plan.  The only thing that will keep you from moving forward is the fear barriers in your own mind.  It’s time to see through your barriers.  It’s time to move on…

When Senior Leaders Can’t Communicate

Your Question:
We have a very senior leader who does not communicate well at all.  When he does try to communicate, he often comes across as aloof and uncaring.  I know him personally and know that he really is a good person, but he seems to be incapable of showing it.  What can we do?

Bonnie’s Answer:
Well, this is a tough one, especially if you are one, two or even more levels below this senior leader.  Even if you are a friend, your feedback may be discounted.  If the senior leader has a coach, share the problem with the coach and let him/her figure out how to deliver the message and fix the problem.  If the senior leader does not have a coach, communicate to the CLO or SVP of HR to determine who internally could address this leader. 

I find that one of the best ways to approach a potentially embarrassing subject with a corporate leader is to use 3^rd-party feedback.  When we develop leaders, we do not go in and say “I noticed you are not a very good communicator.”  First, it would most likely damage the relationship and second, it isn’t clear what the statement is based on.  In order to be credible with such a delicate subject, we recommend using 3^rd-party feedback such as a 360-degree survey, a series of interviews with key stakeholders, or a survey designed specifically to help him/her learn what works well and what does not work well when he/she is communicating with various audiences.  This powerful approach gives the messenger credibility and data for the leader to consider.  The messenger can point to the feedback and remove the heat from the conversation.  It might go something like this:

“I’m not saying you’re a bad communicator; however, the feedback we have indicates that while you are connecting well with your audience in ____area, you are missing the mark when communicating in ________area.  I have some ideas on how we can improve the reception of your message.”

 Once we have the message across and the senior leader has accepted the feedback, we can begin to work on how to fix the problem.  Most senior leaders have had many communication courses so the problem is most likely not a lack of knowledge but a lack of application.  As a coach, I would discuss what types of communication programs the senior leader has attended.  Let’s say one of them was a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® course.  We would review the basics and I would dig into his/her communication preferences to determine what he/she draws on when communicating with the masses.  Then, we would video tape some of his/her interactions or review some videos from previous communications together.

This approach is very similar to when a football coach and the team review a game to see what went well and what went wrong.  By doing this together with the senior leader, it creates the opportunity to break communication down into its parts.  For example, he/she may be very charismatic in his/her delivery but something in his tone makes him/her come across as arrogant.  We have to find the one or two things that he/she can work on over and over again, just like an athlete who needs to correct a swing, a shot, a throw, a catch, a jump, or a kick.  We zero in on the problem.

Once the problem is identified, we work on one area over and over again until doing it the right way is embedded in his muscle or mental memory.  This technique is known as deliberate practice – deliberately practicing a skill over and over again with the specific goal of improving that skill.

Sometimes organizations go a long ways to create a workaround for a senior leader with a communication problem.  One example is to create more communication by email, webcasts, etc.  While, adding non-live/verbal communications is a great idea it should not be instituted at the expense of live connections with the audience.  Leaders of major organizations need to be great communicators and if they are not, they need to learn and develop these skills.  Imagine telling a professional basketball coach that one of the players can’t shoot free throws and the team has arranged for him to not have to do that particular task.  Any professional coach would think you were joking.  All professional basketball players need to be able to shoot free throws – end of story.  It is the same with senior leaders in large corporations.  Communicating effectively with internal and external constituents is part of the job.

Improving communication skills does not mean you are going to create a new person.  If the senior leader does not do well with “off the cuff” comments, it is important that his/her messages and sound bites be honed so that he/she sounds relaxed and comfortable with the message.  With some practice, he/she can learn to weave sound bites into the messages without sounding canned. 

There are, of course, training programs designed specifically for developing communication skills but senior leaders rarely attend them.  The best solution is more than likely going to be a coach who can work side-by-side with him/her to find the exact issues that need to be worked on and help him/her until the concern has been conquered.

Working with audiences may be difficult because in many cultures, it is acceptable to pose any relevant question to any level of leadership including the CEO.  However, learning to be a great communicator is not an unusual mountain for leaders to have to climb.  It’s hard but it is not impossible.  If leading at this level were easy, anyone could do it.  No one said leadership was easy.  Senior leaders accept responsibility to lead the company and leadership without communication just doesn’t exist.

Send us your leadership questions.  We’d love to hear from you!

“Old Dogs” & “New Tricks”

Your Question:
The overall leadership style seems to be changing.  What will leadership look like in the future?

Bonnie’s Answer:
You are right.  The overall style of leadership is changing.  This is partly due to the demographic changes, because Gen X and especially Gen Y do not value leadership as we know it.  Another reason is technology.  We are in a technological revolution and it is impacting everything from the way we read to the way we lead.

This new leadership will require teaching some “old dogs” some “new tricks.”  The Baby Boomers, who are primarily the leaders at the top of today’s organizations grew up in a workforce that valued command and control. In fact, this style of leadership has gone on for centuries so we are really shaking things up as we begin to look at what the future will hold and work to help leaders figure out how to lead going forward.  We must remember there is no one right answer.  Leadership is like art.  Every leader brings his/her own color to the painting, but in general what we will see is the old leadership style of command and control giving way to a more enlightened inspiring type of leadership.  There will be more asking versus telling, more collaboration and a lot more transparency.  Today’s workforce wants to know what is going on, and they have little trouble asking leadership to be held accountable.  They want to be addressed in a friendly and informative way and to be treated as intelligent contributors to the life and future of the company.

The new style of leadership will emerge primarily from the demands of the workforce.  If the workforce demands leaders put their hands on the table, then that is what will be required.  However, there is some risk with this very transparent type of leadership.  Companies can lose their competitive advantage if they are forced to share too much.  Let’s take Apple.  One of their strategic advantages is that they hold their cards very close to the vest.  If they shared what they are planning to do and how they are planning to do it with all of their employees, it would inevitably be leaked and competitors would launch a timely counter attack in the marketplace.   If they shared how great all of their senior executives are along with their contact information, they would inevitably be recruited heavily and some would leave.

We are going to need a two-way type of evolution in the workplace.  Yes, the leaders must grow and change to lead the upcoming generations and technology changes, but the workforce must also be educated.  They need to know that asking for too much information and too much say may bog down processes and slow decision-making to a halt.  The political field is a perfect example.  The political leaders must share everything and hear everything and consider everyone when making a decision.  No matter what decision they make, someone will be mad about it, and they could easily impact their own career by not taking anyone and everyone into consideration.  The more they try to be inclusive, the more they bog down the system with laws and regulations.  It’s mind numbing.  We do not want our corporations to turn into governmental type environments. If they do become like the government, we would have to stop calling it free enterprise and start calling it bound-up enterprise.  Just my two cents….

Send in your leadership questions.  We would love to hear from you!

Warm Culture with Two Faces

Leader’s Question:
We have a team that is at least partially dysfunctional and I don’t know what to do. The team members have changed many times and we have been through a couple of different team building activities.  We are a fairly large company and have a very warm culture.  People are nice to each other’s face but there is a lot of mistrust because information seems to flow through a grapevine.  No one is malicious but it just isn’t straight-up.  What do we do?

Bonnie’s Answer:
I feel your pain.  Over the years I have noticed that companies with a warm/family-like culture are the absolute worst about gossiping, backbiting, not letting dead weight go when its time, and other interesting problems that come with a warm culture.

Here’s what I think happens.  The culture is soft so people are conditioned to give indirect feedback and avoid “straight-up” delivery of important messages.  They may be told to be direct, but the conditioning and the underlying tone and message is to deliver messages softly, through 3rd parties, etc.  As with most cultural issues, this usually starts at the top.  No matter how often the CEO says, we will be direct and move out poor performers, if he/she vetoes moving someone out who really needs to go or reprimands a leader for giving direct feedback, his or her actions will speak louder than words.

The problem is not malicious.  In fact, the leader and the culture are trying to keep from hurting the people; however, they often end up causing a great deal more pain and mistrust than they would have if they had just been direct.

So what to do?

1. Well, first the team needs to spend some time together building or rebuilding trust.  I realize you may have done some of this in the past, but you need to do it with the current team.  It is important that the most senior leader of the team is fully engaged and driving the process. I recommend an offsite retreat or social justice work the team can work on together.  The important thing is not what it is but that you are together; you are talking through issues and getting to know each other outside of your regular work environment.  Building something great together or going through a crisis are two of the best ways to knit a team together.  If you do not have either of these going on organically, you can create it by choosing something to build together (a division, project, outreach, etc.)  You can tie it back to the company’s strategic initiatives and add value all while you are building trust.
2. The team members need to share about themselves either through facilitated discussion or shared assessment results or some other means.  The team members become vulnerable to each other and see each other as people not as competitors or job titles.  They learn about the good, the bad, the joy and the pain in each other’s lives.  When you can get into this area, members usually begin to let their guard down, offer to help and, in general, begin to become friends and allies.
3. The team needs a facilitated session where they set ground rules for how the team will operate.  The entire team can sign an agreement and call each other on it when someone breaks the agreement.  This will help the team members to begin to function in a new and more productive way.  Rules may include:

• Take all grievances directly to the person with whom you have a grievance.  If you are unable to resolve, go together to a friend or supervisor and ask for help getting to a resolution (not correction).
• All feedback will be given directly to the person and everyone will use Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® language for the feedback, so everyone is speaking a common language and it doesn’t come across as personal.
• The team will have daily huddles to cut back on email.
• The team will have weekly sessions to move major tasks forward.
• The team will have monthly sessions to celebrate results and work on strategic problems.
• The team will set and hold each other accountable to six-month success goals.

These are just a few examples of how a team may begin to function better together.

One last thought…. While it is very frustrating to be in a culture that doesn’t give direct feedback, there are also many advantages to a warm culture.  For example, it probably takes a lot of screw-ups to get fired.  If you are sick, you probably have a lot of people who care and will be there to help.  You are likely to have a better work/life balance than a culture that is cool and direct and you have probably gained true lifetime friends at your workplace.

It may not be perfect, but you can probably find some really great things about where you work as you work with your teammates to create a cohesive and trusting team.

Send in your leadership questions.  I would love to hear from you!

Today won’t be great, unless you make it great!!!

How & When to Include your Board of Directors

Leader’s Question:
Our company is designing a new program for the most senior executives.  We are unsure about whether or not we should try to include the Board of Directors.  Can you help us with some thoughts and suggestions?

Bonnie’s Answer:
Absolutely!  First of all, congratulations on the opportunity to create a new program for your most senior leaders.  This is always an exciting adventure and without a doubt, extremely challenging.

We do believe that including the Board of Directors is a great move, barring any major political unrest on the Board.  Assuming everyone is getting along fairly well and committed to the success of the company, there are several reasons to involve the Board members and several ways to do so.

1. One of the main reasons to involve the Board is to draw them closer into the company and creates insight into the decisions that must be made.  This will make them better equipped to providing more informed guidance and oversight.
2. Another reason to involve the Board is because they will, at some point, be called upon to make decisions about the senior leaders and their ability to fulfill specific roles in the company.  Interacting with the senior leaders through an executive development process will allow the Board Members to have a deeper understanding of the leaders’ capabilities and to be able to make decisions with more than a surface understanding of those leaders.
3. The final reason is for their individual and collective professional development.  Today, Board Members are held accountable for decisions and oversight.  Each Member needs to continually grow and develop along with the senior leaders and the organization they serve.

EDA’s Chief Strategy Officer, Richard Zahn, offers insight into the emerging training needs of boards. He noted that “Board of Directors are coming under increasing scrutiny to provide regulatory and financial guidance to their companies. The changing world of regulation and compliance makes it mandatory that members of Boards are regularly updated and informed on the regulations under which their companies operate. But more importantly if Boards are to fulfill their role of providing strategic guidance to the companies they serve then they need to have ongoing professional development about leading thoughts, industry, strategy, leadership and society trends and best practices. This and their experiences outside the firm will enable them to provide sound strategic input. A final area that is often overlooked is that Boards need to learn to communicate effectively with each other and with their executives. There is a need to build the Board as a team that functions effectively in their role. All of this requires a thoughtful, meaningful and continual process of education and development for the Board.”

Board members can play a strategic role in the development of the company’s leaders by

• participating in the residency portion of an executive development program,
• by mentoring senior leaders,
• by acting as a leader/teacher or subject matter expert and providing a presentation during the program,
• by acting as a panel assessor during specific executive assessment areas,
• and by assisting with networking-type connections to external executives with whom the company’s senior leaders can communicate and engage with in peer-level discussions.

In addition, there are some specific development activities you can offer to your board members including:

• leadership development programs
• executive coaching
• strategic reviews delivered by internal subject matter experts or senior leaders
• systematic well-deployed talent review process which includes the board of directors’ involvement
• external thought leaders are brought in as guest speakers
• leader and teacher offerings such as global symposiums offered by universities or consultants
• training on timely and current topics such as: board governance, changes in regulation or a review of techniques for advancing the capabilities of our leaders, and 30–45 minute briefings on a strategic subject by an outside expert

Getting a Derailed Leader Back on Track

Leader’s Question:
I liked your answer last month on leaders who derail, but what do we do when we have someone who is clearly already derailing?

Bonnie’s Answer:
Thank you for your question.  When a person is clearly derailing, you have to react.  It’s always better to catch it before it gets to this point, but with busy schedules and heavy workloads, it is possible to miss the signs beforehand.  Here are some tips on how to react to a derailing leader:

1. Confront the leader with the facts and the issues.
2. Involve a coach or mentor to correct behavior.  The manager and the internal coach, mentor or both can work as a team to turn the situation around.
3. Consider reassigning the person to a role where you know the leader can excel.  This will provide an opportunity for the leader to get back on his/her feet and regain credibility as well as spend time evaluating what wasn’t working and make corrections.
4. Increase feedback and communication to surface the problem and take action.  Get close to them early on. If you are being pro-active in their development, you won’t be surprised by their success or failure.
5. Put together a plan of action and management mechanisms to hold the leader accountable for turning the situation around.
6. Provide a coach and be sure that the coach fully understands the problem and that this is a turn-around situation.  It is helpful to have a coach with experience in turning around derailers.
7. If the individual has a strong history/track record with your company, try to find a new, more suitable spot for the leader. If the individual is new to the organization, you may need to cut your losses and move on.
8. Give yourself a time-limit to deal with the issues (3 to 6 months is fair) and if improvements have not been made, it’s time to cut your losses and move on.  This can be done in a very humane way, by providing the person with outplacement, providing some leads to other jobs, etc.  When it isn’t right; it isn’t right and delaying a decision can be very time consuming and expensive.

Send in your leadership questions!  I’d love to hear from you…

Make today a great day!

Hi-Po Superstar, Fails as Executive. How and Why?

Leader’s Question:
We recently had a high-potential who seemed like a superstar.  He executed his responsibilities well.  He seemed to manage well and looked like someone who could make it to the executive level.  But when he was promoted to Vice President, he began to flounder and went downhill over the next 18 months until we actually had to fire him.  Have you ever seen this?  Why would someone with such talent fail after a promotion?

Bonnie’s Answer:
There are many reasons leaders fail.  In fact, statistics show leaders fail all the way up the leadership pipeline.  There is no point on the path where failure becomes less likely.  In our own work and research, we’ve found there are many reasons leaders fail.  Here is a list of some of the common reasons:

1. They developed too quickly and went beyond their capabilities and maturity level.  When this happens, they can have  expectations of the rate that they are going to move up.  They think that they should be moving up very quickly and when they don’t move up they lose patience. They can become disillusioned.”
2. They have repeated failures and begin to lose self-confidence.
3. They have poor or underdeveloped decision-making skills.
4. They are a “One Trick Pony.”  For example a person can be a superstar engineer or technical expert and a complete failure at managing people.
5.  They do not follow-through well.

There are signs a person is going down the wrong path and if caught soon enough, the person can often be saved, coached and developed for a successful end.  Here is what to look for:

1. Lack of communication; Lack of response to requests; Engagement decreases;  They no longer go above and beyond.
2. Personal issues and outside stressors. “Nine times out of ten in derailment, it is related to personal issues.”
3. Not follwing through on responsibilities/assignments
4. Maturity Issues: (Poor self-control; lack of self awareness; low or under-developed emotional intelligence). For example “Getting mired in the details and forgetting their strategic vision is a derailment factor.  They become  too married to an idea to change and if the vision needs to change, they can’t change with it.”
5. Character Issues (Ego; Self-Serving; Lack of Integrity)  For example,

• High performers are motivated by a strong sense of pride.  By encouraging them to have a team perspective and developing themselves by developing others, you help them maintain a healthy perspective.
• If they have strong results, but they sacrifice team members or the bigger picture or are too self-serving, they would no longer be considered high potential.”

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