Three Leadership Dangers to avoid: A higher Altitude View Necessary for
Survival
By Vistage
member and speaker Don Schmincke, author of High Altitude Leadership
Why do some
leadership teams survive recessions and others don’t, even while using the
same methods?
Mountain
climbing teams in the “death zone”--that altitude above 26,000 feet where
lack of oxygen makes long-term survival impossible--bear a striking
resemblance to management teams. These teams live passionately while
confronting challenging odds. Some are deeply humble; others are psychotic
narcissists. They come with all levels of competence, from naive wannabes to
elite athletes. And when put to the test, they react like all of us:
sometimes like heroes, other times self-destructively.
At these extreme altitudes, success or failure is easily measured, and
mistakes can kill people. In these elements, we’ve discovered that leaders
who survive in the face of extreme challenges do something uniquely
different than the rest. They succeed by recognizing and surviving specific
dangers. Eight clear dangers emerge when an organization moves to higher
levels of performance. Here’s an analysis of three of those dangers.
The Danger of Selfishness
At high altitude, selfishness kills people when teamwork is critically
needed to handle injuries, equipment malfunction, limited resources, and
weather threats. Similarly, selfishness can kill the change initiatives a
business needs to survive recessionary times. Selfishness infects cultures
when managers and staff:
·
Let their
career or personal agendas supersede the organization’s mission.
·
Think that
being right is more important than collaboration and dialogue.
·
Take
individual credit for achievements, while blaming others for failures.
·
Are
unwilling to compromise or seek consensus during conflict.
The damage
escalates as new projects take too long to implement and staff talk about
real issues outside of meetings instead of
inside
the meetings. Politicking, or maneuvering for personal gain, can bring down
the best of companies. It’s often the driver of denial, avoidance,
blindness, or cover-ups all of which are unacceptable in recessionary times.
High
altitude leaders are driven not by selfishness, but by a zeal for achieving
results. These leaders drive needed changes by inspiring others with a
passion for what’s needed.
Is your culture driven by a passionate saga for the strategic changes ahead
or do these missions end up as empty words on posters and coffee cups?
The Danger
of “Tool Seduction”
In mountaineering, tool seduction endangers climbers every time they dress
in the latest gear but apply the wrong techniques to the challenge. In their
overconfidence (or naiveté) they can end up stranded on a storm-ravaged
slope while experienced climbers relax at base camp and have a beer while
watching the storm pass.
Similarly, the danger from a parade of expert consultants packing the latest
tools can distract leaders from focusing on vital issues. Such tools can
include methods for organizational change, leadership development, process
improvement, teambuilding, CRM, ERM, TQM, Re-engineering, and other
management methods.
Leaders fail to survive recessions when tools become “safe” answers, or
worse, weapons to use against other tools. In critical moments, even the
best tools break or fail, resources are lost, or circumstances change. The
problem isn’t with what tools you need, but how organizations relate to the
tools.
Are your leaders using the tools, or are the tools using your leaders?
Tool seduction can suck productivity and morale out of a corporate culture.
It’s wiser to focus on changing the actions and decisions which truly drive
high-performance results. During times of economic uncertainty, do your
tools allow your company to change decisively, or just clog everyone’s
shelves with interesting, but irrelevant, information? Do your tools fuel
passion for change, or derail it with useless meetings, lingo, and
processes?
The Danger
of Cowardice
Cowardice stops both mountaineering and corporate teams from challenging the
status quo, holding others accountable and exposing weaknesses. This danger
happens as soon as your organization fears taking necessary risks or
relinquishes core values during times of trouble. And it hinders decisive
action by stopping the essential act necessary to survive a
recession--telling the truth. Cowardice eats truth and lack of truth eats
profit.
Telling the truth can upset people and cause discomfort, but ultimately it
drives accountability to new levels. Keeping the truth at unspeakable levels
only produces collateral damage, such as:
·
Accumulating
dead-weight of marginally performing employees
·
Avoiding the
real issues and thwarting meaningful change
·
Sticking
with doomed projects far too long
Selflessness, actions that drive performance and bravery are but a few of
the survival tips for dealing with the leadership dangers encountered when
taking your organization to a higher altitude. They can be especially
important during times of economic uncertainty.
Don
Schmincke, Founder of The SAGA Institute, is a dynamic keynote speaker and
co-author of
High
Altitude Leadership
with Chris Warner. Visit
www.HighAltitudeLeadership.com for a free team assessment exercise, and
to view their remarkable strategic, leadership, and organizational change
programs.
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