Signs You And Your Leadership Are Becoming Obsolete

Early in his career, Todd Cherches, CEO of Big Blue Gumball, was working as an administrative assistant in the drama program development department of one of the three major tv networks. While screaming at him in front of his peers, his boss threw a box of pens at his head. Why? Because they were not the ones she wanted.

Rigid rules, control, rigidity and fear. It is an authoritarian course of action generations of leaders used. Times have changed. If you are a leader and keep up this historic style, you will soon be obsolete. Instead, the new effective approach successful leaders embrace is one filled with authenticity, compassion and alignment.

‘Control and command’ is not an effective leadership style. It causes your team to find you unrelatable and inauthentic. You simply will not earn their trust. Without their trust, you cannot lead.

In her new book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership, Dr. Michelle Johnston shares that in

this new era, leadership has pivoted from power to connection. To excel at this, a leader must first connect and lead themselves. There are three things Johnston outlines that could help:

1. Own your story
2. Give up perfection
3. Own your communication style

As a leader, you need to help individuals and teams. To connect with your team, Johnston recommends tapping into your compassion by doing the following:

1. Show care and compassion for the whole person
2. Listen first
3. Act as a servant leader

To connect with your organization, you need alignment. There are three areas which can help you improve in this area:

1. Personally align with your organization
2. Create a positive culture
3. Own your calendar

We often take a challenging situation from our past and it bleeds into our work life. Instead of hiding it, bring it to the forefront and let others know what you had to overcome. Doing so opens the doors for others and allows an authentic connection to occur. There are countless benefits to this new evolved leadership style including:

1. Enhanced team cohesion
2. Improved employee morale
3. Higher job satisfaction
4. Faster decision making
5. Increased productivity

Johnston warns that leaders who constantly seek perfection risk disconnecting from their teams. They create an unrelenting pressure that develops into a culture of fear. Unhealthy competition between team members erupts, and there is low morale and fear that less than perfect performance will be met with retaliation. Instead of perfect, aim for pretty good, recommends Johnston. “It will likely be better than most people’s work, anyway.” Those leaders who try to appear perpetually perfect are viewed as fake and insincere. They simply are unable to connect with their team.

Morag Barrett, CEO of SkyTeam, knows this all too well. Early in her career, she had a two-faced boss. He was pleased when clients were around and toxic when it was just the team. It was psychological toxicity brimming with critical comments, forever telling the team they were wrong. "It's an example of where you are at" was the feedback Barrett received when her shortcomings were pointed out. She never received anything concrete that would allow her, or the team, to learn and adjust. It was their way in most discussions and decisions and while the boss asked for input it was apparent they did not want it. Eventually, Barrett left the organization.

The book is filled with interviews with leaders in multiple industries from healthcare to sports. The most profound insight shared was from Juan Martin, the global president of Kind Snacks and Nature’s Bakery:

A leaders recruit A level people.

B leaders recruit C level people.

Because the last thing B leaders want to have is a B player to potentially compete with them, much less an A player.

That pretty much summarizes how good versus bad leaders recruit. Some are threatened by innovation and fear their subordinates outshining them. The good ones work to get the best out of each person, understanding that it makes the entire team better.

Johnston, a management professor at Loyola in New Orleans who teaches leadership communication, outlines four communication styles:

1. Relational - Asks lots of questions about your background and family because they are genuinely interested in you on a personal level.
2. Task-oriented - Tells you what they need by when. They speak in bullet points.
3. Research and data - They don’t make decisions until they have all the facts.
4. Virtual - Communicate by text or email in lieu of face-to-face.

There are specific actions you might be taking that signal either positive or negative listening behaviors.

Negative Listening Behaviors

1. Interrupting
2. Finishing people’s sentences
3. Not asking questions
4. Closed body language such as arms crossed, hidden hands, or shoulders raised.

Positive Listening Behaviors

1. Nodding your head
2. Asking for input and opinion
3. Asking follow-up questions
4. Displaying open body language such as uncrossed arms, leaning in, or nodding.

The ‘command and control’ management style is a thing of yesteryear. Today, employees are more vocal and will not stand for this. Keep up the archaic practices and you will be a leader without anyone left to lead.