Page 69 - The extraordinary leader

46 • The Extraordinary Leader

startling pieces of research that validates these findings is the study of child
abuse. It is well established that children who are abused have a high likelihood
of becoming abusive parents. It seems almost impossible to comprehend why
children who detest and suffer from the way that their parents treat them often
treat their children exactly the same way. Many adults have exerted great effort
to successfully break their child-rearing practices from the past and start a new
legacy of positive child-rearing. Many parents have had the experience as a child
of promising themselves that they would “never treat their children that way,”
only to find themselves doing exactly the same thing to their children.
A by-product of the phenomenon is that employees are rarely more effec-
tive than their bosses. That is good news if the boss is an extraordinary leader.
The direct reports tend to rise to that level. But we observed over and over
that employees are only as good as their bosses. Bosses set the standards, high
or low. The findings have implications.

● The extent to which leaders merely encourage subordinates to be their
clones becomes problematic. Indeed, it may demonstrate a lack of
appreciation for different styles and approaches, which ultimately may
be detrimental to the organization’s goals.
● Leaders in the organization should be made cognizant of the ways
they reinforce their own behaviors in their direct reports. Superiors
should think more consciously of the role they play in people’s lives
and careers and the legacy they will leave once they are gone.
● Superiors need to be reminded to recruit employees with a
diversity of skills and work styles that would enrich and contribute
to the organization.
● Organizations seeking a culture change should begin with an
intervention at the senior level, as the best way to bring real change is
usually to change the leaders.
● It takes great leaders to develop great leaders. The idea of “Do as I say,
not as I do” just won’t work with leadership.

Imagine the impact on any organization if 20 percent of the good leaders
could move on to become excellent. Fast forward in your mind to the orga-
nizational results that would produce. Consider the profound impact on cul-
ture and the motivation level of employees. Imagine the transformed work
experience of all inside the organization.