Tag: Trend

What happens when leaders demonstrate bad behavior?

2017 was a bad year for several leaders. 2018 and 2019 may have been even worse. I wrote this blog over a year ago. It is still as relevant today as it was then. No signs of real improvement yet. We need leaders to step up to the plate and deliver. Not break the rules and exhibit bad behavior until they get caught.

Google’s CEO had to deal with this mess caused by a former leader.

Leaders face high expectations and always will

Leaders are expected to deliver results without breaking the rules. We demand that senior leaders behave themselves. It is a reasonable demand. They are well compensated. Senior leaders handle a lot of responsibility. If they act inappropriately it could affect many, perhaps even the entire organization.

“To whom much is given, from him much is expected”.

Ignorance is a flimsy excuse for bad behavior

We witnessed numerous leaders getting into trouble in 2017 for bad behavior. It almost seems like an epidemic, especially for men. When you turn on the television there is another male leader explaining what happened and apologizing for it. Ignorance seems to be a common excuse. Only weak leaders avoid responsibility by claiming ignorance.

Inappropriate jokes impacted several national leaders.

Bad behavior is nothing new

I will argue that leaders doing things that should not be done is nothing new. People have been misbehaving since the dawn of time. We are all humans and leaders are no different. They face the same temptations as everyone else. The main difference is that the consequences of bad behavior are more severe for leaders. They should be.

A Congressman resigned after bad behavior was revealed.
A Congressman resigned after bad behavior was revealed.

Increased transparency is here

Let’s start with the good news. Increased transparency is here. It is easier these days to figure out if a leader is a bad apple. We live in a world full of digital dust that can be traced. What leaders say and do can be captured on cameras, microphones, and in emails. The idea of making remarks “off the record” is dated. Nowadays it is easy to record events. If you are a leader, remember that the microphone is always on when you are talking. Your company is most likely recording every keystroke you make. More than one leader fell from grace because they naively believed that no one would know what they were doing. They were wrong.

Leaders should know that the microphone is always on.

How to avoid bad behavior as a leader

As a leader, you may be asking yourself – what are the rules? Not an easy question. The rules, ethics, and norms vary across industries. The company I work for performs a lot of contract work for the US Federal Government, a highly regulated industry. The rulebook we play by is long and complicated. As you would expect we have a strict ethical code. Some leaders forget and/or ignore the rules and pay the price.

Another member of Congress resigned when his misdeeds were revealed.
Another member of Congress resigned when his misdeeds were discovered.

Do not lie, cheat, or steal

For example, I cannot offer a gift of any kind to the clients I support. Exchanging gifts with clients over the holiday season may not be a big deal in your company. If you work in the commercial sector, the rules will be different. If you work internationally you may be dealing with radically different cultural norms. I recommend keeping it simple. Do not lie, cheat, or steal. If you do, as a leader, you will pay the price at some point in time like the examples I will describe below. Take the higher road – totally worth it in the long run.

“Take the higher road and secure a stronger, more lasting victory”

Daniel Stewart

Do not lie to your customers

Over the past decade, several companies were caught lying to their customers. In 2017 Apple revealed they have been deliberately slowing down older iPhones without telling their customers. Many consider Apple as the leading technology company in the world. But, they have been hiding the truth. Their customers responded strongly when they learned the news. In response, Apple released a long (really long) explanation on their website. Now Apple is in the process of rebuilding trust with its customers. It is not good timing for them – sales of the latest iPhone are lower than expected.

Apple was forced to apologize after confirming it does slow down older iPhones
Apple was forced to apologize for slowing down older iPhones. Photo by Getty.

Cheating may come at great cost

In 2015 Volkswagen cheated on the emissions tests conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for VW diesel vehicles. Their CEO testified to Congress that they cheated on purpose to increase vehicle sales in the US. The fact that a German company cheated on a test designed to protect the environment was shocking. If you have ever visited Germany then you know how seriously they take protecting the environment. The cost to Volkswagen has been enormous – over $20 billion. If you cheat it is highly likely that you will get caught. It may come at a great cost to you and your organization. Don’t do it.

Volkswagen CEO testifies before Congress on the emissions cheating scandal
Volkswagen CEO testifies before Congress on the emissions cheating scandal.

Cheating may cost you everything

Lance Armstrong was a great champion. He won seven Tour de France titles – more than anyone. He was a hero to many, especially those fighting cancer. Lance survived cancer. He went on to raise millions of dollars for cancer research. He gave great speeches and made millions of dollars in the process. But, there was a problem. Signs of trouble surfaced in the early 2000s – questions raised by former teammates and colleagues. Lance attacked all of them, calling them liars, hitting them will huge lawsuits. Lance defended himself for years, and I believed him. Many did.

Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles.
Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles.

The truth finally came out

Lance was a cheater. After much pressure, he finally confessed the truth to Oprah Winfrey. He cheated to win and he lied for years. What did cheating cost Lance Armstrong – practically everything. He was stripped of all his Tour de France titles. Sponsors dropped Lance, costing him millions. Worst of all – Lance Armstrong is not allowed to race anymore. The one thing he truly loved is the one thing he cannot do anymore. Next time you think about cheating to win, remember Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah that he cheated to win.
Lance Armstrong confesses to Oprah that he cheated to win.

Stealing is never acceptable

We all know that you should not steal anything from anyone. Yet – it still happens. I think it is rare that you will have to deal with an actual thief stealing property in your company. What is more likely to happen, and perhaps more sinister, is for someone to steal intellectual property (IP). As this article explains – some employees will steal IP when leaving your company. Stealing IP comes in multiple forms. Some people will print out documents. Others will swipe files using a flash drive. It is amazing how many documents one can save on a cheap flash drive.

Companies can look for bad behavior

Most companies monitor employee digital activities. It is pretty easy to tell if someone is up to no good. I work for one of the best consulting companies in the world. I am sad to say that I know of several examples when companies caught employees stealing IP on their way out the door. The reality is that it can happen to any company. Don’t let it happen to yours.

It is not difficult to steal all the flies off a laptop with a flash drive.
It is not difficult to steal all the flies off a laptop with a flash drive.

Holding ourselves accountable by avoiding any bad behavior

It is important as a leader that you hold yourself accountable, and also those who work for you. Based on the examples I described above I highly recommend you avoid lying, cheating, or stealing at all costs. Do not tolerate these behaviors in your organization either. The price you pay is big. Take the high road instead. It is worth it in the end.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!

What happens when leaders fail to confront poor performers

Leaders are expected to deliver results without breaking the rules. No organization puts a leader in charge of a project or team thinking that he or she will fail in the role. Equally important – no one wants the leader to send the organization into turmoil for doing something that should not be done. Leaders are usually selected based on their previous performance and future potential. It is important they deal properly with poor performers.

Your team expects big things as well

I believe that most followers have high expectations of their leaders. In the last two blog posts, I wrote about two troubling leadership trends: hitting the easy button and not having a good strategy. This post describes the third troubling leadership trend that is becoming more prevalent – limited leadership accountability. I will look at this trend from two different angles – poor performance and bad behavior.

Tracking performance is not that difficult

Let’s start with the good news first. Most organizations can track their performance without too much difficulty. It is pretty amazing the amount of data available to leaders and other stakeholders. In my current leadership position, I receive a ton of data about my business unit. Many leaders do. Business metrics, customer feedback, and employee surveys provide insights into performance. Below are some examples of questions leaders can ask and get answers.

  • How much revenue did we generate last month?
  • Was it above or below our target?
  • What do our profit margins look like?
  • How well are we supporting our current customers?
  • Are we gaining more customers?
  • Are we losing current customers? If so, why?
  • How many employees did we hire last month?
  • How many employees left last month?
  • Why did they leave?
  • Do we have a competitive employee benefits package?

Leaders have the data they need to deal with poor performers

All of this data is great. Not only can leaders determine how well they are performing, but they can leverage it to identify what is causing problems. For example, if you are running an online company you can use tools like Google Analytics to understand user behavior. You receive a list of who is visiting your site and what they are doing while there. You will notice when traffic to your site suddenly drops. Facebook advertising provides detailed data about your digital marketing campaigns. You will learn how many users clicked on your ad which helps inform your online marketing strategy. Leaders usually can figure out how well we are performing.

Google analytics provides powerful insights into web site performance and user behavior.
Google Analytics provides powerful insights into website performance and user behavior.

Failing to get the job done is costly

There may be many reasons why an organization is not performing well. Some reasons will be easier to address than others. You may have an inadequate strategy, new competition, the wrong product, a bad marketing approach, or simply struggle to keep up with customer demand. If the poor performance lasts for longer than a quarter or two I recommend an organization starts looking at the leadership they have in place. Is the leadership team the right one. Are changes needed? Do not wait more than a year to consider making changes. The pace of the modern world moves too fast to allow poor performance to persist year over year.

A prolonged drop in stock price is usually an indicator of poor performance.
A large drop in stock price is usually an indicator of poor performance.

Teams that win are usually well-led

In an earlier post, I described how leadership directly affects performance. The sports entertainment industry understands this principle probably better than other industries. Sports teams that win multiple championships spend a lot of time making sure they have the right leadership team in place. Look no further than the New England Patriots – same owner and coach for years. Results – multiple Super Bowl victories.

The New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick to win Super Bowls. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick to win Super Bowls. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

A decade of poor performance is unacceptable

In contrast, if the team is not winning it is not uncommon for the owner to replace the coach. But, that change does not always work. For example, my beloved Washington Redskins have made their fans suffer through a decade or more of mediocre football. For some teams this performance is fine. Not for the Washington DC area. We expect to win. The Redskins possess multiple Lombardi trophies. They just have not won one in a really long time.

The Redskins qualified for the playoffs only three times in the past decade.

Making the right change is critical – deal properly with poor performers

The Washing Redskins owner keeps trying to solve the problem by replacing the coach to include bringing back Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. Even that move did not work. He eventually left and someone new was brought in. The names of coaches who have tried to win under the current owner are too long to list. All these coaches and nothing really changes. Points to the fact that the problem is most likely the owner, not the coach. Until that change is made the Washington Redskins will continue to be happy just making the playoffs. Forget about winning a Super Bowl.

Joe Gibbs speaks with three Super Bowl trophies in foreground, after his return as the Washington Redskins head coach.
Joe Gibbs speaks with three Super Bowl trophies in the foreground, after his return as the Washington Redskins head coach.

What to do if you are the problem

The question that naturally follows is what do you do with low performing leaders. More importantly, what do you do if you are the problem? What if you are a leader who is failing to deliver results. If you are the problem it is time to do something about it. Don’t hit the easy button and hope for the best. Hold yourself accountable. Invest in yourself. Become a better leader.

Coach Belichick holds us accountable everyday. We appreciate when he’s tough on us. He gets the best out of us.

Tom Brady, Quarterback for the New England Patriots

All the Way Leadership! is here to help

In the coming year, we will continue publishing curated content about leadership. We also plan to launch a training program for leaders who are looking for ways to increase their individual impact and improve their leadership effectiveness. Take advantage of these resources and the many other ones that are available. Don’t wait for your boss to walk into your office, close the door, and have a tough conversation with you about why they are removing you from your current role. Don’t be the guy in the cartoon below.

Hold poor performers accountable, or pay the price

It is important as a leader that you hold yourself accountable, and those who work for you. If you have low performing team members you need to work with them on ways to improve. Perhaps they need training, coaching, or more guidance. It is up to you as the leader to figure that out. Don’t watch your team members flounder without doing something about it.

Tolerating poor performers will effect team morale.
Tolerating poor performers will affect team morale.

Rarely will the problem solve itself

If you have worked with the person, and performance does not improve, then you need to consider making a change. It is a difficult decision to make. Do not take these decisions lightly. The reality is that sometimes you have to remove the poor performer and move on. If you do not then you are sending a signal to the rest of the team that poor performance will be tolerated.

Getting rid of poor performers can be difficult.

Failing to deal with poor performers is not fair to others

Whatever you decide – avoid simply handing the problem to someone else. Many leaders are afraid to deal with poor performers. I have witnessed this first-hand many times in the government. The poor performer is not helped or fired. Instead, they are moved. The problem continues. In fact, it gets worse over time. The poor performer eventually is promoted and put into a position of greater responsibility. The problem grows until someone has the courage to deal directly with the poor performer. Don’t let that happen to your organization. The results can be devastating if you choose to ignore it.

ATW! is designed to make you a better leader

I hope you join me on this journey to raise up the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!

All The Way Leadership!