The Problem with Leaders Today

I had lunch today with a member of The Achievement Gym who wanted to talk with me about challenges he was having leading his staff. He noticed he wasn't getting the type of results from his management team that he was hoping for as he saw consistent communication errors getting in the way of his organization moving forward.

It was quite refreshing when, after explaining the situation, he asked me if I could help him improve his communication style so that his staff 'gets it" the first time. Most conversations I've had like this with organizational and business leaders, it is asked for me to figure out if I can help the leader 'fix' the team members. But not in this instance, and it was a breathe of fresh air.

The more my business moves in the direction of leadership training and management development, the more I finding significant challenges with the leadership styles of leaders at the highest levels. Many of whom, again, believe the management problem lies outside of themsevles and they want me to 'fix' their team members. Not only aren't serious enough about looking within themselves, they haven't even considered it as a possibility.

On a side note, prior to and immediately upon returning from that lunch, I had two related experiences. The first came from the hostess seating us in the restaurant.

As I was waiting for my lunch date to arrive, I engaged the hostess in a conversation because we as we exchanged greetings, her response to me was, "I'd be doing a lot better if I didn't have to work today." Which just opened the door for me. She asked me what I did and I told her I work with teams and their leaders to improve the morale, attitudes and the overall work environment to improve productivity and satisfaction levels. To which she said, "Well, I've been here 18 years and nothing ever changes except the faces. The attitude from the top never changes, it's always the same."

This woman has seen a lot 'changes' in management personnel over 18 years, but the general culture hasn't changed in that time, in her eyes. And, she's the person they have greeting customers when they walk through the door and is the first person customers meet? Interesting.

Upon my return, I received an e-mail from a team member at an organization I'm working with who was responding to the Weekly Achievement Log they fill out so I can hold their team accountable to their prescribed progress. Here's what she wrote: "The problems here seem to be primarily from the top down. The managers, for the most part, have not been held accountable for reaching established goals, therefore goals are rarely reached."

Hmm, problems from the 'top down' again? I'm noticing a significant recurring pattern and theme are you? If you're in a leadership position, no matter what the issue is I encourage you to first look within to fix the problems you are experiencing on the outside with your team.

More on how to do that and have the greatest impact in my next posting...

To address specific issues you may be experiencing regarding your leadership and management challenge, feel free to e-mail me at Info@TheAchievementGym.com

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