The Complete List of Reasons Leaders Fail

Top 12 reasons leaders fail:

1. Neglecting culture. Culture building is job-one for all leaders.
2. Lack of paranoia. The paranoid think about what could go wrong and make contingency plans.
3. Bitterness, grudges, and resentment. People fail. Successful leaders allow fresh starts.
4. Task rather than people focus.
5. Accepting complexity.
6. Lack of political awareness. Successful leaders build relationships with powerful players.
7. Failure to sell successes and accomplishments with humility. If the right people don’t know your value, you aren’t valuable.
8. Trusting the untested. Talent without a track record is dangerous.
9. Fearing great talent.
10. Postponing tough conversations.
11. People pleasing.
12. Refusing to adapt. Adaptability is the greatest ability.

Bottom 20 reasons leaders fail:

1. Stagnant pool of friends. Keep your current friends and develop new.
2. Disconnecting with others due to the blindness of power.
3. Failure to build strong teamwork.
4. Neglecting to develop skills, both theirs and those of others.
5. Needing to outshine others rather than letting others shine.
6. Confusing leadership with management.
7. Cowardice. It takes courage to lead. If you don’t think so, you haven’t led.
8. Brown nosing those above and neglecting those below.
9. Too much doing and not enough helping others do.
10. Withdrawal.
11. Over-promising.
12. Fence sitting.
13. Lack of clarity.
14. Lack of follow through.
15. Favoritism.
16. Blaming.
17. Rejecting uncomfortable ideas.
18. Excluding themselves from accountability. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
19. Lack of alignment with board members and organizational values.
20. Relying on authority.

Bonus material: “Ten Reasons Leaders Fail, Plus ONE” – Based on a conversation with the CEO of Circuit City.

What’s at the top of your list of reasons leaders fail?

What should be added to the complete list of reasons leaders fail?

5 Structures that Shaped Zappos’ Culture

Lack of focus wastes energy, squanders resources, and defeats hope. Focus, on the other hand, eliminates the superfluous in order to grasp the essential.

Success requires focus.

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, describes his focus in two words, “Company culture.”

Dr. David Vik (Doc), author of, “The Culture Secret,” helped build the world renowned culture of Zappos. During our conversation he said leaders tried to replicate Zappos’ culture in their own businesses, but often failed.

Trying to replicate another organization’s culture is like putting decorations on a Christmas tree. It’s pretty at first and garbage in the end.

Doc says, “There are two parts to any Culture. The first is structure.” Culture development fails when it’s all decorations but no structure.

5 Structures that shape Zappos’ Culture:

1. Vision: What the organization is doing and wants to do.
2. Purpose: Why the organization is doing what it does.
3. Business Model: How vision is accomplished.
4. Wow Factors: What makes the organization stand out?
5. Values: What the company and employees care about.

Doc says, “The second part of Culture is people.”

5 behavioral expressions of culture:

Sustained culture development and transformation requires behavioral alignment with the culture building structures listed above. Behavioral alignment includes:

1. Habits.
2. Routines.
3. Shared language.
4. Common beliefs
5. Mutual decisions.

Roots of failure:

Doc explained failure to develop the five structures dooms culture development. It’s hanging pretty decorations on shabby trees.

Building organizational culture begins with structures not decorations.

Why focus on culture:

Tony Hsieh says, “If you get the culture right, then a lot of really amazing things happen on their own.”

Check out, “The Culture Secret,” written by a guy who helped develop the best culture on the planet.

What factors develop or transform organizational culture?

How to Give Birth to Your Dream

It’s been over a year since I talked with my wife about a dream I have for enriching the lives of an exclusive group of highly dedicated college students. Recently, the opportunity arose to discuss it with key players who could make it happen.

Responses are nearly immediate and universally enthusiastic. Next week I’ll host a vision meeting to clarify mission and identify key issues.

Gathering a team:

Share your vision with committed individuals who already share your values. I have many friends who don’t value students the way I do. I’m not sharing this dream with them. They’re great people, but approaching them would be like pushing rocks up hill.

Leadership Lesson #1: If you have to convince others your vision has value, you may be talking to the wrong people.

Leadership Lesson #2: If you share your vision with those who share your values and they aren’t enthusiastic, re-evaluate your vision. For example, ask:

1. Is it relevant?
2. Is it timely?
3. Does it address real needs?
4. Do outcomes justify investments?
5. Is it a communication issue?

In this case, enthusiasm emerged quickly. I’m pressing forward.

Warning: Avoid surrounding yourself with yes-men. Executing a radical vision requires hard thinking and harder work. Head-nodders won’t take you there.

Power of great ideas:

Great ideas inspire others to think their own ideas.

They take your vision and run with it. On one hand, you want them to run. On the other, it may feel like they are changing or stealing your vision.

Great dreams require great teams.

Leadership Lesson #3:

Cling to core outcomes and invite others to mold and make your vision. Letting go gives space for others to own.

Participation in formation
inspires profound ownership. 

I’m not suggesting you forget your dream. I’m saying; invite others dream along with you.

How can leaders facilitate the birth of a dream?

What pitfalls should be avoided?

Fixing Why Leaders Don’t Let Go of Decisions

Decisions should be made
by those closest to the action.

The trouble is those closest to the action may not see the big picture. They may act selfishly. Perhaps they’re great at their jobs but they’re fearful. Should I continue?

You have a bag full of reasons why others shouldn’t have decision making authority. Most are self-made; many are self-serving.

Leaders can’t let go of decisions because they:

1. Believe distributed decision making creates mediocrity.
2. Think they know better.
3. Don’t share information.
4. Have more experience.
5. Have an agenda they haven’t shared.
6. Don’t trust others.

Personally, I don’t let go of decisions because I believe:

1. I’m more passionate.
2. I better see where we need to go.
3. I like control.

Five Ways I know you’re ready to make decisions:

1. You fully embrace organizational values. The more closely aligned we are the more trusting I am of you.
2. You have a proven track record of unselfishness. I can’t let you make decisions if you have your own best interests in mind.
3. You have a proven track record of follow-through. The more you’ve succeed in the past the more I trust you in the present.
4. You understand and believe in organizational vision. Decisions that impact future direction most touch vision.
5. You understand and believe in organizational mission. Decisions that improve present conditions most touch mission.

What prevents leaders from sharing decision making authority?

How do you know when others are ready to make decisions?

How can you prepare people to become decision makers?

Overcoming the Danger of Taking Ownership

Don’t touch my things!

Ownership is dangerous when others are ruled out. “It’s mine! Don’t touch my things!” Individual owners do things themselves. That’s good unless it become exclusive, protective, and short-sighted.

Individual contributors:

The trouble with individual contributors is they create patterns and processes others don’t embrace or duplicate. They hoard expertise and knowledge. Some can’t share the spotlight; others don’t know how. Some refuse to invest in others.

Individual ownership is powerful. But, ownership is a dead-end unless teams and partnerships are included and developed.

Individual contributors are essential;
team builders exponential.

Alone is ok; with someone is better. Leaders create “withs”.

Create ownership continuums:

Continuity, sustainability, knowledge transfer, and longevity are leadership’s responsibility. Take the long view rather than the easy out.

1. Train everyone to replace themselves. If they can’t teach others to do what they do, they need to go. Move training from theory to practice with new opportunities.
2. Provide job shadowing opportunities at least once a month. “Follow me around for an hour or two.”
3. Engage in job rotation. At given intervals, every three years for example, people’s job should change in measurable ways. Mastery becomes lethargy without new challenges.
4. Leverage leaving. When someone leaves your organization, don’t simply replace them. Change the position. Reassign responsibilities.

Caveat: It may not be feasible to rotate highly specialized, highly technical people. Do it everywhere possible.

Danger/advantage:

Employee security includes sameness. “Don’t mess with my job.” On the other hand, disruption challenges, freshens, and invigorates.

What are the pros and cons of working toward ownership continuum?

How might you implement ownership continuum in your organization?

Where are these ideas unrealistic?

Can Complainers Become Leaders

Are complainers potential leaders? Listen closely to their complaints; learn from their techniques. Seeing problems is the beginning of leadership; circling problems ends leadership.

Some see problems and complain;
leaders see problems and seek solutions.

Political Complainers:

The first time I met a political complainer I was twenty-five and leading a growing nonprofit.

She came representing the complaints of others.

In reality she wanted her own way. She overstated problems and ignored success. It didn’t matter that a dying organization had found new life.

Every organizational growth cycle produces political complainers who come representing others. Their power to gather followers is in compassion, real or fake.

Their power of influence is making
people feel they care and suggesting you don’t.

My experience indicates political complainers can devastate organizations. They pursue restoration of the past in the false hope that going back solves growth pains.

Growth causes pain. Compassionate people complain about change because change hurts.

Leadership ends when preventing discomfort becomes the ultimate goal.

Never let those who don’t like
what’s working change it.

Pit bull Complainers:

Unlike political complainers who represent others, pit bull complainers never let it go. Round and round you’ll go discussing the same issues over and over. Tenacity is their gift.

Questions to ask about complainers:

1. Can they go beyond pointing out problems?
2. Can compassion and tenacity be refocused?
3. Are they willing to create and execute solutions to the problems they see?
4. Are they willing to do what’s best for the organization?
5. Do they align with organizational values?
6. Is forward-facing possible?
7. Can they become loyal?
8. Can they find ways to talk about the future without complaining about the past?
9. Can they transition from pressuring you to achieving on their own?

Forward-facing solutions create momentum. Backward-facing complaints de-motivate.

Have you seen complainers become leaders?

How can complainers become leaders?

Fitting In AND Standing Out

When I was young fitting in meant becoming what others expected. Now I know, fitting in requires knowing yourself not losing yourself.

Leaders and managers who help people fit in create dynamic organizations. But pressure to fit in from immature leaders prevents people from standing out. In those organizations, stand out and you’re out.

Organizations and leaders who demand conformity resemble immature adolescence; they can’t stop thinking about themselves. They cry out, “Love me.”

Outstanding leaders call people to
fit in and stand out.

If all you do is fit in, you’re mediocre. If all you do is stand out, you’re on your own.

Help people fit in by:

1. Clearly articulating organizational values, mission, and vision?
2. Helping people fit into organizational values and vision? You hired people for the mission.
3. Understanding the dynamic of adapting? More adaptation translates into less passion.
4. Explaining where you require alignment? Are you communicating that up front?
5. Expecting high performance once people understand how they fit in.

Help people stand out by:

1. Working to understand their values, hopes, and goals.
2. Connecting their values and vision with organizational value and vision.
3. Giving choices rather than making demands.
4. Establishing career and opportunity paths.
5. Developing their skills and exposing their blind spots.

Helping people fit enables them to stand out.

Bonus:

Standing out hinges on how people interact with their environment, colleagues, and clients. Everyone wants to succeed. Helping people remove attitudes and behaviors that hinder their potential often creates greater success.

What can leaders do to help see how they fit in?

What can leaders do to help people stand out?

Secrets to Leading Without Position or Authority

Yesterday, I asked an upper-level manager at one of the world’s largest organization how he’d risen through the ranks so rapidly – he lit up and talked collaboration.

He’s succeeding because he
influences people he can’t boss.

Leaders influence without position, title, or rank; they invite loyalty, passion, and commitment. They don’t coerce, pressure, or demand. Begin influencing when you don’t have authority by:

1. Asking.
2. Listening.
3. Learning.
4. Understanding.
5. Explaining.
6. Know what makes people tick.
7. ???

Avoid:

1. Telling.
2. Pressuring.
3. Demanding.
4. ???

More on leading without direct-line authority:

Believe:

Belief isn’t just for religious folks;
it’s what great leaders do.

My friend said, “You have to believe.” Believe in the organization as a whole and the project, specifically. Belief fuels everyone’s passion.”

Believe in:

1. The value you’re bringing, most importantly.
2. The values, mission, and vision of your company. Buy it!
3. The people you’re working with. Trust them.
4. The value of your project. It matters.
5. ???

Win:

“We don’t want to send product back and our supplies don’t want to take it back. It’s expensive. I started giving our suppliers weekly feedback rather than quarterly or semiannually. Now less of their product is rejected. In one case, we cut returns back by 50%. That saved us over 9 million dollars in one year. Everyone wins.”

You can’t win apart from consistent feedback, period.

Value:

“Show them how the project adds value.”

If you want people on your team,
make life better for them.

1. Make work easier by creating simplicity and efficiency.
2. Deliver better product.
3. Increase profitability.
4. ???

Humility:

I saw humility in him so I brought it up. Collaborators don’t need the spotlight they give it. “When projects are successfully completed, top billing goes to others on the team.”

You rise up when you help others rise up.

How can leaders lead when they don’t have authority?

Leadership’s Most Neglected Virtue

Few things are more devastating than being used and abused by those you support. Disloyalty burns like no other burn. Disloyalty demoralizes.

Strength:

The strength of an organization is expressed by the loyalty of its people. Military organizations thrive because members disadvantage themselves for the advantage of others, for example.

Giving:

Calling for loyalty demands reciprocity. Sacrifice of life calls for loyalty to the fallen. “No man left behind,” is the flip side of, “Give your life for the cause.”

If you want loyalty, give it.

Have you ever heard the bull crap line, “I need you too much to promote you?”

Never be loyal to those who are disloyal.

Expression:

Loyalty is seen when:

1. Gossip is rejected. All gossip is disloyalty.
2. Serving others rises above serving self.
3. Disagreement is encouraged and honored. People who won’t engage in constructive disagreement believe they’ll be thrown under the bus when it’s convenient.
4. People own decisions even if they disagreed.
5. Everyone is held to consistent standards. Those higher in organizations never enjoy benefit at the expense of others.
6. Leaders take blame and share credit.

Sacrifice:

Disadvantaging self for others isn’t sacrifice when values align, it’s an honor. Standing for something enables you to stand-with.

Mistakes:

Loyalty is best seen in the context of mistakes and short-comings. Few things stir the soul more than standing with someone who fell short. Loyalty for loyalties sake is foolish, however.

Stand with those who acknowledge mistakes and make corrections. Reject those who hide mistakes and persist.

Standing “with” demonstrates and invites loyalty.

Few things bring out the best in others more than loyalty. Who are you standing with? Who stands with you?

How and when do you express loyalty?

Have you seen loyalty at work?

8 Ways to Find Freedom

Freedom ignites passion, imagination, and initiative; control destroys it.  Freedom feeds vitality; control oppresses and limits. Freedom, however, is dangerous.

Freedom is essential because their expertise exceeds yours, in their area. If you know more than everyone on your team, you have a weak team.

Effective leaders set people free.

Finding freedom:

#1. Freedom regarding method not mission. Free environments require mission-clarity between individuals and organizations. Every free environment is mission driven or it’s confused, diluted, and ineffective. Furthermore, all participants must know how personal mission aligns with organizational mission.

#2. Freedom needs the big picture. Silos create enemies. Free people know how their behaviors and performance impacts others. They know how they matter.

#3. Freedom necessitates constant feedback. Freedom without feedback is paranoia. People without feedback develop personal, self-serving agendas. It’s their only option.

#4. Freedom requires information and transparency. Secrets indicate manipulation; transparency creates confidence, responsibility, and accountability. In free environments everyone knows everything they need to know.

#5. Freedom calls for equipping. Don’t bother developing people if you aren’t going to set them free to perform with new skills. Developing people sets them free to serve others.

#6. Freedom requires responsibility or anarchy results.

#7. Freedom thrives on clarity. Confusion ends freedom because it feeds chaos.

#8. Freedom is protected by cross-functional teams. Individuals acting independently destroy organizational freedom. People responsible to others can be set free.

Danger:

Freedom is dangerous. Putting Band-Aids on old systems is futile. Freedom takes time.

How can leaders step toward free organizations?

What hinders free environments?

**********

Post in a picture by Larry Coppenrath: “Finding Freedom“

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