Wanting to please others, avoid failure and evade hard decisions are
three weaknesses associated with leaders who display cowardly behaviour. Though
many organizations often excuse these development gaps as harmless habits, in
reality, they can rub off and have a detrimental impact on those being
led. But there are a few things you can do to avoid the fallout from
working for a cowardly boss. First, do not gossip behind your boss’s back - it
will only make you look bad. Instead, study his behaviour. What makes your
boss fearful? If you were in his shoes, what would you do differently? Next, do
not be afraid to talk openly about difficult decisions you are facing. Making
your hard choices visible to your colleagues is a good way to set the example
and by exercising courage, you can protect and grow it. Finally, as difficult
as it might seem, ask your boss for the things you want and need. Being direct
in this situation may be the best way to get them.
SIGNS OF A BUSINESS COWARD.
You solve everyone’s problems.
There is really not much to explain about this one. You may believe that
constantly solving other people problems will cost you your most valuable asset
- Your Time! Manage your anxiety and have a little faith in others. Your
co-workers and staff will improve significantly and you will be much happier.
You are never ‘quite ready’.
Your leadership style tends to involve spending too much time getting
ready to get ready. Your toolkit is full of workshops, committees, meetings and
protocol. You do not want to make mistakes. You avoid the moment of truth by
categorically getting ready. Should you prepare? Sure! Do your research?
Certainly. But stop hiding behind the “we are not quite ready” excuse. Be
decisive and just do it - even if conditions are not perfect.
You are a micro manager.
You think accountability means constantly hovering over your co-workers
or employees to ensure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing, in
the way you think they should be doing it. This is not Leadership. I believe
that it is really simple. Do your job and let others do theirs, or get rid of
incompetent employees and replace them with people who can get the job done.
You are an easy way-out kind of person.
You avoid decisive action or decisions in general because it makes you
uncomfortable. You tend to rationalize and explain why you did not do what you
really needed to do. For you, it is much easier to avoid taking action
(at least in the short term) but it is also a sure trait that signals
mediocrity and stagnation.
You are a pretender.
You pretend you do not know about a high performer who is behaving
badly. You pretend that your key client is not crushing your employee morale.
Maybe you even pretend you do not know it is time for you to move on. All of
this pretending allows you to avoid the pain and makes you feel good in the
short term, but it exacts a heavy price over time.
You are the Black & White guy.
You regularly struggle to analyse situations. You do not know how to
balance your head and your guts. It takes both facts and intuition to
analyse situations effectively. Step outside your comfort zone when it is time
to make decisions. The perception of your leadership will be enhanced, the
performance of your team will improve and people will likely trust you more if
you lead with both your head and your guts.
You suffer
from ‘shiny ball’ syndrome.
Most of us do not want to say 'no' to distractions because what we should be focusing on may be
difficult. 'Shiny ball' syndrome can be managed but it requires real
courage and discipline to stay focused and on task. If we cannot achieve focus
and manage what is expected of us, we will drown in our own chaos. We will fail
to do the important things and we will fail as leaders.
You regularly blame others.
You are one of those energy-draining, counterproductive people who deal
with difficult circumstances via blame. You are not the one to take action to
change your circumstances because it is always someone else’s problem. Real
leaders are driven by the importance of removing excuses and blame from
themselves and their organisations.
You ignore what is causing ‘parachute popping’ in
your company.
Maybe it is a policy, a person, or a mindset that is holding you or your
team back from optimal performance. Ask yourself now: what am I doing or not
doing, that is causing people to ‘pop’ (i.e. deploy) their parachutes? Try to
be courageous and assist in removing all the obstacles that you can. Work
around the guys who always have parachutes strapped to their backs so that you
can stay productive, directed and focused.
You are a ‘fact listener’ who is not open to
discovery.
This tendency is so strong that it blinds you from seeing alternatives,
opportunities or contrary evidence. If you do not listen to the “whole”
information vs. just the facts as you know them, you would not see other
possibilities.
You reward being busy as opposed to delivering
results.
You worry about upsetting your team or employees, so you do not set the
right expectations. True leaders lay out what is expected in the most effective
way possible and are clear about the consequences of not meeting them.
You clutter is obstructing your view.
You are the type who has more meetings, more calls, more emails to read and send and more of everything else to obsess over. Cluttered mindsets and work styles are clear signs of fear and/or disorganisation. Let go and remove some of that clutter so you can free up the time to do what truly inspires and moves you. Try it! You’ll realise this may be the best reason of all to confront your hidden fears and vanquish your inner professional coward.
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