Is your Leader Busy Surviving?

Over almost two decades and countless meetings with several people who lead, I can say with impunity, there is no dearth of leaders who are toiling hard each day to just survive in their jobs.

They have their focus inwards. They only care about making the cut for themselves, no matter what the cost. It is a bane for the organizations they lead, it is a pain for the teams that report to them, but it is rife.

Now, I don't think it is wrong or bad to think about your survival. In fact, why human beings are not in the same category as dinosaurs today is perhaps because we adapted ourselves to survive the changes that came with evolution. It is perfectly alright to fight and defend when there is a real threat to survival.

The problem arises when 'surviving' becomes a mindset and subsequently becomes second nature. What worries me is that this happens far too often and in far too many organizations. More often than not, the cost of having survival mindset leaders is massive and worse, it is covert.

I have realized that if you watch closely like I do, it takes only a few minutes to discover the mindset of the leader on the other side of the table. They fall within two ends of the mindset spectrum - Owner's Mindset [OM] and Survivor's Mindset [SM].

For example, the one who doesn't take responsibility for rising customer complaints and points out to the lack of staff or lack of facilities falls under SM. Compare this with someone who puts his hand up and says, 'It missed my radar so far. But we will turn it around. And for that to happen, I would request the following support...' The OM leader is brave and perhaps that is why he is a rare breed. He is does not fear the embarrassment of being put on the spot. He, like the owner of the company wants to get things done and move ahead.

SM leader on the other hand, prepares for reviews and meetings with his bosses, not to jointly work on areas on growth, but to portray a rosy picture about the efforts put in or how the circumstances are choking the growth plans. He will not hesitate to subtly point out another department that did not support. The race is not to give credit but to find the scapegoat, before he becomes one. OM leaders say things the way they are. They take more than their share of blame and less than their share of credit. For them credit belongs to the team and responsibility of failure lies with their own self.

You seldom see SM leaders giving new ideas to the Board. The underlying thought is - 'Why take the hassle when everything is going smooth? or What if this backfires?' One sure way to know if the leader is in the SM mode is to see how many new ideas originated from his own desk and how many originating from others were shot down by him. Companies are sacrificing huge growth opportunities by tolerating mindsets that are wired to only survive.

One salient characteristic of a SM leader is that he does not hesitate to 'fire' the 'non performers'. I guess this helps him masquerade his own failures or helps him buy time with the management. Once I asked a CEO of a large healthcare company - 'Isn't it equally your failure that your key subordinate did not perform? After all, it is your job to drive performance. Even if you say that the person was incompetent, you were the one who hired him in the first place.' After a moment of stutter, he deftly moved on to something 'seemingly more important' than this question.

How many other leaders does a SM leader groom for the organization? This needs no answer. Grooming more leaders is contraindicated unless you are an OM leader. As an owner, you need more people to lead so that you can amplify growth. You are not scared that your second line will pose a threat to your existence and may even make you redundant. In fact, nurturing new leaders may just prompt an OM leader to take that much awaited Digital Marketing course or learn another new skill so that he can contribute more.

It is crucial for a survival driven mindset to continuously keep increasing his area of influence and add to his perks. He loses sleep on who else should be reporting to him and how will he get the Board's pet project. This, he thinks, will make him more indispensable and hence increase his survival chances. The owner's mind is content with what he has and is looking at making a lasting contribution within his resources. He is not averse to the idea of personal or professional growth. But those things for him are secondary to doing a good job with what he already has in hand.

A SM leader, unlike his OM counterpart, is a prisoner of his teak-wood office. He seldom meets his own staff, leave alone customers or key vendors. He plays hard to get, in the garb of meetings and doing lots of work. You should always keep an eye for that leader executive who does not leave office even after the working hours just because the boss is still in-house. His main job appears to be - please the boss. Say the right words, laugh the loudest at all the jokes the boss cracks, even if they are offensive. Here comes the worst part - this SM leader who would not step out of office, will be the last person to back his boss up or prevent him from falling down even if he can see it coming. SM leader is selfish. It helps him in his survival game that his boss falls. So he watches it happening quietly and plans his next survival move.

His OM counterpart, on the other hand, is not scared to take on the boss in debates and discussions. But he does it with dignity and in a respectful manner. He backs up his statements with rationale and facts. He does it not because he wants to prove the boss wrong, but because he wants the company to surge ahead. Therefore, also watch out for this guy who politely but courageously speaks up in a meeting when he thinks the boss is making a decision that may go wrong.

SM leader talks about his other colleagues. He does not hesitate to 'label' other people behind their backs. You will seldom see an OM leader discussing other people. He wants the company to achieve its goals and is looking at soliciting support of other colleagues in this mission. He looks for strengths in other people that can help the cause rather than what restrictions their personalities bring to the table.

The list is endless, but I guess the point is made. Survival mindset in leaders makes an organization 'top-hollow'. It triggers attrition, low performance, turf wars and finally downfall.

My message to people who lead is - Identify, acknowledge and get rid of your survival mindset before it gets rid of your organization.

Vivek Shukla is a senior Management Consultant in Healthcare and has worked with over 60 CEOs/Managing Directors/Hospital Owners/Other Leaders over 19 years.