Is Your Leadership Hurting You?
By Marla Skibbins
In my work with influencers in both the biotech and tech space, I see continuously that leaders don’t understand how to lead, encourage, and empower through their leadership. They are not taking the time to think about one key question: What is the impact they are having on their people?
Often in sessions with my clients, I ask them “what is the impact you want to have on your team, or a specific person? Are you behaving and interacting in accordance with that desired impact?” Taking the time to really consider this question, and understanding your behaviors and interactions can make all of the difference in your leadership. Read through the list below to see if you are doing any of the following. Is the unintended impact the one you choose and want to have?
The leader focuses too much on the What and not enough on the How -- The What refers to the work at hand, and the How is how we are relating to the other person and how they are feeling about the work. If you focus too much on the work and not enough on the people, they will start to feel like they are a means to an end or a cog in a wheel.
The leader feels their way is the best way -- Leaders will want to tell others how to do their work because of this. Doing this too much will disempower people and keep them from doing their best work, their way.
The leader lacks self-awareness -- It’s important to be able to look out at those who you are leading and put yourself in their shoes. How might they be receiving what you are saying and doing? If you don’t take the time to do this, you will miss important cues that might derail your leadership efforts.
The leader isn’t developing people around them -- Everyone wants the opportunity to grow and develop, and a key aspect of this are leaders that have coaching skills and spend time with their direct reports to ensure their continuous developments.
The leader lacks listening skills -- People want to be heard and want to be included in your thinking and your processes. If you don’t listen you will ultimately disempower and disengage your people.
The leader lacks empathy -- Right now this skill is particularly important given the level of stress and challenges of dealing with so many unknown details. Being able to understand and put yourself in the shoes of your direct reports or team members will help in your ability to manage the situation to a positive outcome for you and your org. The impact of not having empathy is that it undermines trust and safety, and you won’t get the best out of your people.
The leader doesn’t create trust and psychological safety -- The most functional teams have a deep level of trust and a pervasive sense of psychological safety. This, in turn, stokes innovation and results. If you don’t create a safe space to think outside the box, and to fail, grow, and iterate, you will cut off creativity and innovation for your team.
The leader is conflict-averse -- A leader that allows spirited debate and can lean in when things get hot will be more likely to create a team environment that fosters commitment and healthy views of conflict, allowing the best thinking to get on the table. Teams that can’t engage in healthy conflict will often circle the same issues, causing them to become more and more unproductive, and ultimately won’t create the best results possible.
The leader thinks they are more self-aware than they are -- Leaders that overestimate their ability to know what is going on in their behavior and how it affects others in another key way that the people around them become disengaged. This can have all sorts of cascading negative effects on those around a leader who lacks self-awareness.
The leader thinks there is no time for leadership or team development -- Looking back towards developing the people around them, this is also important at the team level. Teams that are developed to be efficient and innovative will be huge assets to any system/company they are in.
Is your leadership hurting you?
Whether you find yourself in one or many of these traits, your leadership style and skills may be hurting you and your team. 79% of employees will quit after receiving inadequate appreciation from their managers and in business, 83% of companies say developing leaders is crucial. Maybe it’s time you took the leap into executive coaching, and as a result, drive exceptional results for you, your team, and your organization.