When leaders fail: causes and how to prevent it

Sometimes leaders fail. ?Whether this is through them not having the correct skills from the beginning or a plateau occurring after a while, the impact on the organization is equally damaging. The effects of leadership derailment include a decline in job satisfaction, a lack of teamwork and an increase in individual stress.??

?And the phenomenon is far reaching. Research suggests that up to around 25% of executives are at risk of leadership derailment. With the ability to develop awareness and learn to nurture positive qualities, however, they can prevent this from happening.?

?In this article we’re going to explore leadership derailment and its causes in further depth as well as taking a look at how you can prevent it from happening.??

?WHAT IS LEADERSHIP DERAILMENT?

?Derailed leadership is any form of leadership that is unsuccessful.?Like a train coming off the tracks an individual has been prevented from reaching their potential when steering a team in the right direction.?

In some cases, leadership derailment refers to a leader who has reached this potential, but whose efforts are now beginning to decline. For example, a leader might derail when they are burned out and unable to adapt to meet a change in the organization more widely.

WHAT CAUSES LEADERSHIP DERAILMENT?

?Outside of contributing circumstances such as organizational transitions and unusually heavy workloads, psychologists and CEO’s point to three main factors as the causes of leadership derailment.

Lack of leadership qualities

People who have personality traits and skills conducive to great leadership will understandably be less likely to experience derailment. Organizations can contribute to the problem by not properly screening candidates before hiring or promoting them.?

?Schaubroeck, Walumbwa, Ganster, & Kepes (Schaubroeck, Walumbwa, Ganster, & Kepes 2007) highlight that selection strategies should seek out positive traits early on. These traits will include:?

• Self-awareness
• Strategic thinking
• Honesty
• Decisiveness?
• Selflessness
• Communication
• Empathy?
• Ability to inspire
• Consistency?

?If an individual does not naturally have positive leadership qualities, this is not necessarily an issue so long as proper coaching and training is in place. It is only an issue when someone is unable or unwilling to change, showing a stubborn lack of flexibility or ego. We’ll touch more on coaching and training later in the article.??

Difficult personal attributes

Even those with great skills can struggle with derailment. As de Haan and Kasozi (de Haan & Kasozi, 2014) recognize, personal strengths can quickly settle into patterns that are detrimental for an organization as a whole.

?The very same attributes that can lead individuals to the point of being promoted to leader can hold others in the team back. For instance, a drive to get tasks completed can be motivating for a team, but it can also create shame and fear for those who work more slowly.?

Lack of collaboration

Participants in Chief Executive's and GrowthPlay's Best Companies for Leaders survey recently pointed to a lack of collaboration as the main reason for leadership derailment. And it makes sense. Building and guiding a team requires a level of collaboration unfamiliar to most non-leaders in most fields of work.

?Nurturing teamwork, being able to delegate and learning to recognize individual ability whilst directing the whole are all skills that must be honed. And where leaders fail to do so, they will often struggle or fail.

Insufficient training or development, the second highest cause listed in the survey, is also closely linked with collaboration issues. Leaders that aren’t offered formal support will struggle to know how to get the most out of each of their team members.??

HOW CAN LEADERS PREVENT LEADERSHIP DERAILMENT?

Leaders themselves can look to use the following techniques to avoid derailment:?

Avoid locked thinking and seek feedback

Particularly during times of stress, leaders can revert to “locked” and ineffective ways of thinking. They may limit their teams by not being open to new ideas or ways of doing things. This can quickly lead to inefficiencies and individuals feeling demotivated.?

?By seeking feedback and remaining open to new ideas, both on team decisions and their leadership skills more generally, people can ensure the flexibility needed in a healthy team.?

Develop strategies to combat negative personality traits?

All of the following traits can lead to leadership derailment and people should seek to become aware of when they are acting them out and to avoid doing so:

• Lack of communication or empathy
• Inability to learn from experience
• Trust issues
• Poor composure under stress
• Dishonesty/lack of clarity??

A useful way for leaders to become aware of their derailing tendencies/derailers is by seeking upward feedback during their annual review or 360?.?Ensuring that the upward feedback always comes to a constructive discussion between the leader and the employees/team members who gave the feedback is fundamental for developing the leader’s self-awareness.

?Ultimately, it is down to the organization to promote a culture of feedback by creating the necessary space in which employees feel confident in giving practical and constructive upward feedback without the fear of being punished.

Foster transparency

Possibly the most important thing an individual can do to combat leadership derailment is to communicate openly with their organization about what support they need. During times when they are under pressure, this will be particularly important.?

HOW CAN ORGANIZATION PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING?

To prevent leadership derailment from occurring, organizations need a focused and targeted approach. They should seek to implement the following steps:?

Empower leaders to become more accountable?

As well as holding leaders accountable when they make mistakes, organizations need to empower them to take a proactive approach to honing their skills. Encouraging and incentivizing is crucial.?

Select and promote carefully?

As discussed earlier, a great leader has a few essential personal qualities. Organizations should also look to select someone who meets the needs of the personalities and culture of the team itself.?

?One instrument widely used for selection and talent acquisition by global organizations and Fortune 500 companies is the HOGAN Leadership Forecast Series.?The Leadership Forecast Series provides an in depth look at eleven derailing tendencies that can get in the way of a leader’s effective leadership.?

?This instrument can be used not only for selection but also for leadership development coaching, allowing leaders to acquire strategic self-awareness not only to leverage their strengths but also to recognize and manage those tendencies that cause them to go off track.

Coach leaders effectively

Whether highlighting possible leaders or working with existing ones, executive and leadership development coaching is critical to avoiding leadership derailment. Executive coaches help leaders and managers alike analyse what behaviors are required of them in order to fully support their teams, foster collaboration and create a culture of feedback within their organization.

Executive and leadership development coaching allows leaders to find the necessary space to reflect in full confidentiality and away from their work environment. Moreover, it helps them evaluate their behaviors and refine their decision making process.

?For specialized leadership coaching, get in touch with bCoached or directly with Silvia. Our executive coaching focuses on helping executives and managers increase their self-awareness, leverage their strengths as well as manage their derailing tendencies.?

?To book a fully confidential chemistry call with Silvia use the link below:

?https://calendly.com/silvia-executivecoach/30minutes

?References:

De Haan, E., & Kasozi, A. (2014).?The leadership shadow: how to recognize and avoid derailment, hubris and overdrive. Kogan Page Publishers.

Schaubroeck, J., Walumbwa, F. O., Ganster, D. C., & Kepes, S. (2007). Destructive leader traits and the neutralizing influence of an “enriched” job.?The Leadership Quarterly,?18(3), 236-251.