Page 182 - The extraordinary leader

Fatal Flaws Must Be Fixed • 159

10. Focus is on self, not on the development of others
In addition to being highly self-centered, these leaders perceive the develop-
ment of their subordinates as an optional activity. It is “nice, when and if I
have some time” but not a central part of their job. They assume that not
spending time on the development of their direct reports does not and should
not impact their own personal effectiveness.
The evidence, however, is very clear that those leaders who were not con-
cerned about helping their direct reports develop and were not seen as
coaches or mentors were more likely to fail. Clearly, they were primarily
focused on themselves and were not concerned for the longer-term success
of their employees, their department or the organization.
What we know about leaders who are good at developing their direct
reports is that they are able to generate a great deal of commitment and
engagement by encouraging and supporting the development of others. The
increased engagement typically raises the performance of the group. Build-
ing the capabilities of others also often allows leaders the opportunity to del-
egate challenging assignments. This provides the leader greater latitude to
spend more time managing and leading the group. When people are learn-
ing and growing in their jobs, they feel positively about their work and their
leader. Often, leaders who fail to focus on the development of their direct
reports are primarily focused on their own career and their own success. They
may even stoop to take credit for the accomplishments of their team. The dis-
engagement of the team and lack of motivation by team members makes
achieving difficult targets almost impossible.

What Fatal Flaws Have in Common
As we study these 10 patterns of behavior, three things stand out.
First, each is extremely obvious. They are observable by anyone with
even the most casual of connections to the leader in question. Everyone close
to these leadership behaviors feels their impact (or in many cases, their
lack of impact). No one is immune. They have a huge influence on the
organization, because the leader has an enormous “ripple” effect in the
organization.
Second, these fatal flaws tend to be mostly “sins of omission.” Each case is
marked primarily by an inability to do something. It is defined by failure to
initiate activities, not discovering the causes of failure, ignoring obvious
needs, not reaching out, not taking initiative, not seeking out new ideas, not