Leaders Who Aren’t Leaders
“Well, I guess it’s good to know the enemy,” said the executive director of the nonprofit organization where I worked, in my exit interview. I had just told her I was going to business school, rather than law school, which was the more typical next step for someone early in their career.
The comment caught me off guard, but in fact my experience at the organization was why I wanted to go to business school. I can’t entirely fault them, but the leaders there cared about three groups: funders, the press, and powerful politicians. I didn’t have much to compare it to, but I had a hunch our organization would be more effective if its leaders cared more about the people and the organization … if they balanced organizational leadership with their outward-facing roles.
All these years later, I sometimes come across people who are leaders in name but who do not seem truly to accept the role. I often admire them greatly for their accomplishments as founders, visionaries, scientists, technologists, and more. Yet the people who work for them often express frustration. Some typical complaints:
Internal inattention. Some of the internal success factors like culture, performance management, structure, decision making, mentoring, and more are neglected.
Controlling. They hold tight to a lot of decisions and other responsibilities. They create a bottleneck and refuse to empower or trust others to help.
Narrow focus. They don’t have a strategic orientation that helps the organization reach its full potential. They tend to zero in on certain opportunities or issues without taking a broad view. I often hear they are easily distracted by “shiny objects.”
I would like to say something to two groups of people:
If you think you might be one of these leaders: Be ready to cede some power for the sake of your organization and its mission, whether it’s a for-profit company or non-profit organization. And I don’t mean hire a COO, which is a common response that often fails. I mean hire someone above you and let that person run the organization. It might be hard, but it may be the best path to achieve your vision.
If you work for one of these leaders: Be sure your frustration doesn’t undermine your effectiveness. Be patient and remember that your leader has many great gifts and might find it scary to give away power. Respect their authority and what they have built and achieved. Accept that maybe your leader is running the organization this way because, simply put, they want to and aren’t likely to change. Leaving might be your best option.