Broken Leadership

Can leadership be broken?  I think it can.  Can it be fixed?  I think it can.

What will it take?

Let me share with you a little story of a small company with big problems.  While working with the owner of the company, we were looking at employee files.  I noticed something strange.  In a short period of just a few years over 15 employees in this small company of 5, had left the company for various reasons.  I was shocked!  I asked him what he thought was the reason for so many departures?  He began to rattle off the myriad of reasons.  His leadership was broken

I stopped him and asked, what was the one constant in all of the involuntary and voluntary terminations?   He reluctantly said, “ME.”  He realized that he hired all of them and let them underperform without holding them accountable. Because he did not set the right expectations, he paid the price, a loss of business and loss of credibility with the remaining employees.

He asked, “How do I correct the problem?”

I said, “It starts with you.  You have to take a step back and think about what type of leader you want to be and what type of company you want to have.”  Once he was able to come to terms with his leadership style and his vision for his company, then he could begin to attract the type of team members he wanted to join his organization.

Over the past year he has continued to make changes and now has a team that will allow for the type of growth they all can buy into.  Leadership always starts with you!