Over the past few weeks, I have had several discussions with clients and colleagues about leadership, and one thing is abundantly clear: there are many awful leaders in business. Toxic personalities lack self-awareness, focus on their own power, or can be just plain mean.
I heard a story the other day about a national sales executive from a major company who publicly told his entire sales team they were worthless and needed to be replaced. That is so demotivating. I guess he has not read the research on the positive effects of psychological safety, an environment where the team feels it is okay to take risks and speak up.
What makes me crazy is that senior executives in organizations know when they have people in leadership positions who behave badly and do nothing about it because those toxic leaders “deliver”. What they don’t take into account is the carnage these leaders leave in their wake.
Worth the share
I loved this article from Psychology Today entitled, The Alpha Leadership Lie. It sets the record straight that those leaders, like an old boss of mine who walked around with an 18” baseball bat pounding it into his hand, are a problem. The author, Eric Solomon Ph.D. wrote that “fear doesn’t create strong teams, swagger isn’t strength, and control isn’t leadership”.
Here are some of his key insights on leadership:
- Weak leaders perform. Real Leaders deliver.
- Weak leaders take. Real leaders give.
- Weak leaders burn. Real leaders build.
- Weak leaders stockpile power. Real leaders pass it on.
- Weak leaders make people afraid to fail. Real leaders give people the confidence to try.
Please read the article to learn more from Dr. Solomon; it’s packed with insights and ideas.
#wisewords
Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”
–Vince Lombardi
And Finally...
So, what is the opposite of “alpha leaders”? Leaders who lead humbly are the opposite of pride and arrogance. Rooted in self-awareness, humble leaders are open, admit when wrong, are other-focused, and are grateful.
Is having humility your superpower?
I have the privilege of coaching a few leaders who lead with humility and have strong, healthy, thriving organizations as a result. Here is my go-to article on Humility. Check it out to learn how you can become more humble.
Have a great week,
Mary Jo