Archives December 2017

Everybody knows bad leadership can be costly.

It leads to turnover, workplace stress, and decreased cooperation, costing businesses billions yearly. But can leadership kill?

Many of us have attended keynotes or workshops that focus on plane crashes. We listen in on the final flight deck conversations between the chilling co-pilots and captains, which crash. Chilling, not just because you hear the crash, was avoidable.

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about cultural power-distance gaps and how they contribute to plane crashes and near-miss accidents. And as a frequent flyer, I am glad steps are being taken to reduce power differentials in the cockpit. They are focusing on precisely the right thing: leadership behaviour.

But what about cultures of leadership that kill in less apparent ways than a dramatic air crash?

I think you will find Dr. Greta G. Cummings of the University of Alberta’s YouTube presentation of interest, where she quantifies the impact of leaders of healthcare centres on patient mortality.

Astoundingly her study shows that poor leadership styles contribute to a 6% mortality rate in healthcare facilities.

That is, 6 out of 100 deaths are directly connected to ambiguous communication styles and expectations of the facility’s leadership.

Maybe the impact of unhealthy leadership in your organization is not as dire as to result in a death …

 But what is bad behaviour costing?

I was challenged by a regular reader of my blog.

She is a middle manager struggling with a large company where the executive team drives everything that goes on in the organization. 

Her question: how can I help my organization if I’m not the CEO? 

I have two answers for her and you. 

First, while you may not be the CEO, you influence your part of the organization. 

How To Lead Without Responsibility

By focusing on how to impact your department two things are going to happen: you’ll get a sense of accomplishment as you see progress, and your circle of influence will begin to grow as people will see what you’re doing and they may ask you to help them. 

Secondly, most great leaders appreciate and need someone to tell them the “truth” about what is going on within the organization and how they can be better leaders and managers. 

If you can find the courage to tell a leader what he or she needs to hear with humility and respect, you’ll be shocked at how often those leaders appreciate and even listen to your advice. 

Of course, it is entirely up to them whether they accept you say, but that’s not your problem.  And, in my experience, a good boss will rarely cause you any negative repercussions. 

Being Courageous

And even if there were to be a cost for speaking the truth, it is better knowing that now so you can think about finding work where leaders reward people for having the courage to make the organization better.