Month: August 2017

Yes, you. YOU are a Cowardly Leader So am I.  We all are, at different points and in different circumstances.  It happens when we ignore grievances or oversights that should be addressed.  It happens when we fail to speak "truth to power."  When we fail to stand in front of our boss and stand on our principles.  When we take a job knowing that we don't have the same philosophy as the leadership and decide to be a "yes man" in order to keep the position. I Don't Have the Answer I know that by writing a blog, there is an assumption that I will be able to point out issues, then supply answers.  Or, at least, possible options.  I have dealt with cowardly leaders  for years and have been writing…

How Cowardly Leaders Impact Morale Cowardly leaders impact morale?  Huh???  A statement of the obvious? Duh!  That they impact morale goes without saying.  They are going to manage (not lead) an organization, and more often than not, that management style results in low morale.  The employees will, for the most part, be stressed.  They will not understand their role, what is expected, or what their mission is.  In all likelihood, that mission will routinely change based on what the cowardly leader has determined is to his best advantage. Nevertheless, it's valuable to understand what the effect is on the employees.  When they are jerked around, used and abused, sacrificed for the benefit of the cowardly leader,  they will suffer. Ramifications A Harvard Business Review article on morale and what happens when employees think the boss is…

Cowardly Leaders who are in positions of power have the ability and authority to get rid of their subordinates.  That isn't disputed.  However, how they choose to get rid of their subordinates helps define a true cowardly leader. How Cowardly Leaders Eliminate Employees Cowardly Leaders are in unique positions.  They have the power and authority to make decisions that dramatically-even drastically-affect the careers and lives of the people who work for them.  Being in a professional position by no means insures that they will be professional.  There are at least four different ways they use:  The Old Fashioned Way-  Cowardly leaders can always fire someone if the charter or city/county ordinances allow it.  It's rare, except in a politicized city government, that there isn't some protection for an employee. However, in those power-centric organizations…

I've written before about power, authority, and leadership.  The blog Power Is Not Leadership is particularly relevant. Another previous blog post discusses the challenge and difficulty of Speaking Truth to Power.  Simon Sinek has excellent advice when he says, "The most important thing you will ever do as a leader is tell the truth.  It's also the easiest.  Just tell the truth." When Power Doesn't Listen All leaders answer to someone.  Regardless of how many people you lead, you answer to someone.  So you have multiple opportunities to speak truth to power.  However, I heard an interesting question posed the other day: What Do You Do When Power Doesn't Listen? I still firmly believe that the most difficult challenge any leader faces is speaking truth to power.  And when that power is not…

Cowardly Leaders don't lead teams.  They create teams (or what they might label as teams).  They refer to their team.  But they don't lead a team. Michael Schneider, writing in Inc., reported on a study that Google performed with 180 internal teams to determine just what makes a successful team.  His article is here if you're interested in reading the entire piece. Successful Teams have the following: Dependability Structure and Clarity Impact Meaning Psychological Safety The last trait was the one that surprised the researchers at Google.  They supposed that successful teams were comprised of what you would expect.  Smart people, well-rounded, had the requisite number of people from different departments, diverse, etc.  They also confirmed that teams routinely had their marching orders, had agendas, had a timeline to meet, knew (or reasonably…