Why Firing and Hiring Isn’t Always the Answer to a Leadership Vacuum

A not uncommon frustration for business founders, owners, and key decision makers is the feeling that others in the company are not stepping up. As a result, they bear the full weight of leadership on their own shoulders. Unless this leadership vacuum is addressed, the company cannot get where they want it to go.?

If you find yourself facing a leadership vacuum, your first inclination may be to fire and hire: fire the people who are not delivering the leadership you need and hire new people to fill the gaps. But before you take such drastic measures, pause and do a bit of reconnaissance. You have a leadership vacuum; that is not in question. But, why do you have a leadership vacuum? Why does the situation exist in the first place? The answer to that question is critical to establishing the best solution for your company. For example:?

• Did you have good leaders previously and they left? If strong leaders have departed, the root cause could lie in your company culture, management practices, or growth opportunities. In that case, you may have bigger issues to resolve, above and beyond your current leadership vacuum.

• Does your company lack a leadership development program? A great truth for business is that leaders are made, not born. You can make an investment in leadership development and executive coaching to equip your current employees with needed leadership skills. This can be more efficient and cost-effective than hiring new people.?

• Do you have people with leadership skills who are not in the right leadership seat? Sometimes, leaders underperform simply because they are not in a role that aligns with their strengths; for instance, a person may be great at leading sales but not marketing, or may be great on vision but not on execution. If so, then moving a person laterally into a seat that is a better fit for their expertise will give them the opportunity to shine.

• Do you have people with leadership skills who are currently not in leadership roles? You might already have potential leaders in your organization, but they have been overlooked or have not yet demonstrated their abilities. If so, a simple promotion may be all that is necessary to address the leadership vacuum.?

These examples show that handling a leadership vacuum well is a much more nuanced proposition than simply firing and hiring. By conducting a thorough assessment of your situation, you will be able to develop a course of action that will not only address the current leadership gap, but also prevent leadership gaps from recurring in the future.??