Page 176 - The extraordinary leader

Fatal Flaws Must Be Fixed • 153

the energy out of any room.” We all have periods of time when our energy is
low and we are dragging, but their energy level stays low. Many were delib-
erately unenthusiastic and passive. Their lack of energy caused them to per-
ceive any additional assignment or initiative as a huge burden.
Visualize a person that is floating on the sea with a life preserver that barely
keeps his or her head out of the water. New initiatives, challenges, and
changes are all like lead weights that drag the person underwater. Naturally,
this person resists new and challenging assignments. The leader’s lack of
energy affects the whole team, including the boss and peers. This leader
pushes hard for consistency, regularity, and conformity, which in the right cir-
cumstances can be good things. However, the leader’s motive is to ensure not
being overwhelmed or overburdened. Because such leaders fear having too
much to do or being overwhelmed, they never volunteer and rarely make sug-
gestions for change.
2. Accepting mediocre performance in place of excellent results
This is the most visible and easily noticed failure that has a high pro-
bability of leading to termination. When leaders fail to achieve agreed upon
results, there is a high probability that an unpleasant conversation will
follow. Every leader is clear about this, but what many leaders are not as
clear about is their tolerance of mediocre performance. Some leaders find
a way to sandbag their goals and targets, convincing their boss to agree to
minimal expectations, to ensure they will be achieved. They justify this by
repeating the phrase, “I believe in ‘underpromising and overdelivering’!”
These leaders have convinced themselves that their mediocre performance
is completely acceptable and hence never look for opportunities to
improve.
3. Lack of clear vision and direction
Some leaders believe that their job is merely to execute the objectives of their
organization and let other people deal with strategy, vision, and direction.
They argue that their direct reports have all the necessary information to be
fully productive. People know what to do and when to do it, they don’t need
to know why it’s being done. But this leader fails to understand that subordi-
nates, while not needing to know, want to know why something is required
and how their work contributes to the success of the organization.
Much like a hiker who cautiously stays on the trail, everything is fine until
there is a fork in the trail. Without a clear picture and insight into where the
hike is going, the probability of success is reduced at each juncture.