As a Professional Coach, and Business Consultant, I encounter hundreds of businesses, thousands of people and I do it all around the world.
One amazing fact jumps out at me all the time, and that is how often leadership gets in their own way when it comes to solutions.
Remember, when a person or company hires me and my team to help create a TRANSFORMATIVE work environment, that is only half the battle. They have hired us because they recognize that what they are doing is just plain and simple not working.
Some realize this when they find they are talking about the same issues they were talking about a year earlier, and nothing has changed. Some realize the outside help is important after hearing a podcast or attending a leadership event.
All are aware that change MUST happen…..it is actually the rare few that ARE WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES to bring about different outcomes.
If you are not sure if you suffer from this syndrome, here are the top 5 indicators you actually are:
#5 OVERCONFIDENCE IN YOUR OWN IDEAS:
- Key sign = Ignoring or dismissing feedback, suggestions or alternative solutions.
#4 INABILITY TO DEFINE THE PROBLEM CLEARLY:
- Key sign = Frequently shifting the focus or goals of a project or addressing symptoms rather than the root cause.
#3 MICROMANAGING INSTEAD OF DELEGATING:
- Key sign = Taking on too many tasks personally or second-guessing team decisions.
#2 AVOIDANCE OF DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS:
- Key sign = Postponing or avoiding addressing conflicts, performance issues, or decisions that might cause friction
#1 SEEKING VALIDATION RATHER THAN TRANSFORMATION
- Key sign = Engage an outside expert, seeking to reinforce the perspective that got you to this point, rather than embrace the outside perspective.
#1 is #1 for a reason…it happens most frequently. Leaders know something has to change but are unable or unwilling to realize it is them that must change. Leaders like this tend to be stuck in a loop of the same issue, and until they embrace that “pain exists….it isn’t going away…..what has been done to this point is causing that pain…..different than what has been done is the answer” they will never end that loop.
There is hope, and remember, if you have engaged with an outside coach, your are 50% of the way toward TRANSFORMATIVE, BETTER OUTCOMES.
If you want to get to 100%, here are 4 suggestions when engaging outside help:
- SEEK HONEST FEEDBACK
- TREAT ROOT PROBLEMS…TREATING SYMPTOMS CREATES SAME OUTCOMES.
- DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY
- FACE CHALLENGES DIRECTLY
If you discovered that you may struggle with any of the top 5 indicators, and would like a free, in depth, and confidential “leadership diagnostic”, click here, and one of our teammates will be glad to contact you in confidence.
