It is said that the success of any business/organisation rests in the hands of the person at the top — its leadership. Therefore, if the business/organisation fails, it is the leader who fails.
Leadership is a process by which one person (the leader) influences the thoughts, attitudes and behaviours of others. It is the leader who sets the direction for the rest of us; helps us see what lies ahead; helps us visualize what we might achieve; encourages us and inspires us. Leadership is an important function of management which helps to maximize efficiency and achieves organisational goals. Without leadership, organisations can move slowly, or stagnate and can eventually lose their way.
Without leadership, a group of people will quickly degenerate into argument and conflict because they see things in different ways and lean towards different solutions. Therefore, it is the job of the Leader to help to point the people in the same direction and harness their efforts jointly. Hence, it is important to bring awareness of some of the factors that can contribute to leadership failure in order to mitigate them.
Leaders Fail to Move Beyond Personal Grudges and Hurts. Leaders have to learn how to forgive and move on. Holding on to hurts and grudges is a recipe for disaster. Leaders need to able to use their past as a catalyst for serving others and helping them through their hurt and pain.
Leaders Stop Serving the Mission and Start Serving Themselves. Leaders should never try to advance their personal interests. Good leaders are humble, confident and winsome in their approach. They should be motivated not by building their own platform but by serving those whom God has called them to serve.
Leaders Fail to Build Healthy Accountability Structures for Themselves. Leaders should be held accountable to the people – who chose them – for everything they do or fail to do. They must come to understand that they are servants of the people and not their bosses.
Leaders fail to communicate well. Leaders need to understand that if they wish to lead, they need to constantly communicate with the people and make sure they are all in the know. If they do not communicate effectively, people won’t know what to do next or where the group is heading. When leaders are unclear about their own purpose, they often hide their confusion and uncertainty in ambiguous communication.
Leaders do not understand self-leadership. Leaders need to know themselves, control themselves and communicate their core values, expectations and beliefs. They need to understand their strengths, weaknesses and goals in order to be able to give their best to their team and to have fulfillment.
Leaders are too reactive. Leaders need to be proactive instead of reactive. They need to use their time effectively. Proactive leaders have an influence on the future and form the right alliances to advance their causes.
Leaders become greedy. Good leaders are those who can delegate tasks and make sure that everyone on their team is learning, growing and being challenged. They should always seek to empower others rather than pull them down. A good leader should always prepare future leaders.
Leaders get arrogant. They become proud and refuse to be questioned. When a leader refuses to be held accountable to someone or some standard… trouble is on the way! That leader is destined to fail! Effective leaders embrace accountability and do not walk away from instruction! Effective leaders are continually learning and changing.
Leaders tend to focus too much on politics. This tends to get in the way of productivity and makes them lose focus. Leaders need to be continuous learners if they want to keep up with the challenges of the day or the cutting edge. Leaders should instead focus on doing excellent work and managing their team.
Lack of ethics. One of the major issues that leaders face is that of ethics. When leaders fail to provide ethical models for their organisations, or even personal life, the results are disastrous. A leader’s credibility is the result of two aspects: what he or she does (competency) and who he or she is (character). A discrepancy between these two aspects creates an integrity problem.
Relying only on position. Many leaders falsely believe that because they have position, it automatically gives them leadership. Leaders need to be able to lead without the reliance on position. With the emphasis on their position and the power that comes with it, the people they serve are often forgotten or seriously undervalued. When leaders cannot relate with the people they work with, it creates some serious problems.
Everything rises and falls on leadership. If an organisation is doing well, look at the leader. If a company is failing, look at the leader. No, it’s not the economy; it’s not the market; it’s the leader. The action of the leader determines the fate of those under him or her. We simply cannot underestimate the importance of leadership.
Remember, businesses or organisations don’t fail – it is the leaders who do.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 2. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com.
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