Stagnation in Leadership: How to Avoid Getting Stuck in the Weeds
As an executive leadership coach, I have firsthand seen the price that companies pay when their leaders become overwhelmed in the details or preoccupied with the specifics that they fail to see the bigger picture.
This stagnation not only affects the leader’s own leadership, but also the teams they lead and the entire organization. Some consequences of stagnation in leadership include:
Decreased employee morale: When a leader is buried in minutia, it leaves employees disengaged or frustrated. If a leader doesn’t allow their employees to do their work or express their opinions, morale decreases.
Lack of innovation: When a leader believes it is their job to do all the thinking when it comes to innovation, they cause stagnation. Additionally, their actions of being stuck in the nitty-gritty result in the company lacking in innovation.
Decreased productivity: When a leader is engrossed in the small stuff, it appears as though they don’t have the time or energy to focus on the bigger picture. As a result, decreased productivity and efficiencies occur throughout the company and things do not get done.
Poor decision-making: When a leader is consumed by the finer points, and struggles to make strategic decisions, they appear stagnant. As a result, their behavior of being bogged down by the finer details hinders the company’s progress and discourages people.
Loss of market share: When a leader is overwhelmed by the details, it will cost the company. Consequently, the company may struggle to compete in the marketplace and lose market share to competitors. Stagnation in leadership is real and costly.
Decreased profitability: When a leader is pre-occupied with the specifics, they end up costing the company in profitability. As a result, stagnant leadership not only leads to decreased profitability, but it also leads to the decline of the overall health of the company.
Stagnation in leadership is like a weed that, if left unchecked, can strangle the growth and success of an individual, team, or organization. Therefore, it’s essential for leaders to regularly assess and address their own behaviors that may be holding them back, in order to avoid getting stuck in the weeds and incurring costly consequences, to their team and organization.
Lead From Within: Leaders who are overwhelmed by details, buried in minutia, stuck in the nitty-gritty, and wrapped up in their own thinking risk causing stagnation in leadership, teams, and the company.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
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