THE PAST DECADE has spawned a plethora of discussions focused on what makes a good leader and the behaviours in which individuals need to engage in order to rise to leadership positions in the workplace.
However, the more we talk about leadership the harder, it seems, to find such people with these ideal qualities. In essence we have allowed the concept of leadership to morph into high science, or should I say an art, since, it seems, if we are to believe all the prescriptions for good leadership, it depends on the innate qualities of the persons alone and the economic circumstances in which they find themselves, instead of including the conditions in the workplace that may or may not allow for the emergence of effective leaders.
In the 1980s and 1990s corporate downsizing had been all the rage, creating an increasingly flatter organisation with few or no levels through which potential leaders/managerial staff could aspire.
This type of organisation has in essence effectively eliminated or greatly reduced the incubation/probationary/developmental period which all potential leaders need to go through in order to learn what is required to lead people, systems, operations, policies and procedures, at every level, the informal, team leader, supervisory, managerial, across positions, industries and countries. These experiences, in effect, are a melting pot of churning clay out of which our leaders are eventually sculpted, with only finishing touches being required before they could take off in full flight.
This melting pot is like our various childhood experiences, each one preparing us for the increasingly challenging experiences that are to come so that we may consciously and unconsciously apply our wide breadth of knowledge, experiences and philosophical development to achieve amazing results.
Micro management and the threat to leadership development
Increasingly, supervisors and managers are hired to run various functions in organisations. however, they are not empowered to make any decisions even when it comes to the very departments or functions they have been hired to manage or supervise.
Frequently, supervisors and managers are placed the extremely embarrassing position of having to compromise their professional integrity and expertise in order to ensure that they remain in compliance with the dictates of the upper echelons of the organisation, even though they know that such actions will bring the company and ultimately themselves into disrepute.
Additionally, supervisors and managers are not allowed to execute their roles in an effective way because they are not allowed to make decisions concerning the most insignificant of matters. Should these employees seek to make an independent decision and for whatever reason, it does not result in success. Then the punishment that comes can be a horrific undermining of self-reliance and confidence that one would ever have the misfortune to experience.
It therefore takes an extremely well adjusted and socialised individual to not only get back in the saddle but continue to make independent decisions also. This failure to be able to make even basic decisions leads to the emergence of supervisory and managerial impotence and the retreat of empowered leadership, for which there is no blue pill, at this time.
The prescription for nurtured managerial impotence – the location and application of the ‘blue pill’
Implement a trusted/robust recruitment and selection philosophy. Ensure that you have made selections that are the most suitable to the person and most importantly the organisation. Remember to transform your existing culture. you cannot hire a change agent, you will be setting up the new employee to fail with disastrous consequences, especially with the rise of mobbing in the workplace fostered by the volatile economic environment in which we exist. You will need to hire change agents that have a plan for change, marshal the troops around it and implement your plan in the most effective way possible that would yield the results you desire.
Employee performance management versus micro mentorship
Now that you have realised that you have indeed selected the correct candidate, then it is imperative that the employee’s performance is managed effectively for continuous improvement. However, while it is understood that employees in new roles, companies, industries, etc., need guidance, it is also recognised that the employee is competent in the role and therefore should have the wherewithal to make decisions.
As a mentor or if you are regarded as a mentor, prior to making the decision, the employee would defer to you, and productive discussion can take place but ultimately the employee should be left to make that final fully justifiable decision, and not necessarily be issued with instructions and be expected to carry them out without question.
I will conclude my thoughts on these matters next week.
Geri-Ann Austin is an experienced human resources and employee relations professional. Email: developmentalga@gmail.com