Over time, negative experiences erode the leader’s influence. This is particularly true for leaders who give plenty of lip service to forging effective relations but whose behaviour does very little to advance that cause. These leaders ignore or do not seek feedback, do not listen to others or share information with them, micro-manage their staff, allow their emotions to control them, take accomplishments for granted, and offer more criticism than aid and resources. None of these behaviours is conducive to making and sustaining connections. They breed cynicism, distrust, and resistance to change — even those behaviours that potentially improve organizational functions can fall to the negative. Worse, they can bring productivity to a screeching halt.
In all areas of business, in all industries, these repercussions have devastating effects. One survey of employees who left their job indicated that 25 percent quit because of “ineffective leadership” and 22 percent resigned as a result of “poor relations” with management or senior staff.
While some percentage of turnovers is healthy for the organization to replace the inevitable bad hires and toxic employees, we cannot dismiss the relevance of the findings from attrition studies that claim that failed emotional connections are the primary reason people leave their jobs.
Leadership experts Roger Connors and Tom Smith formulated a guideline for detecting whether a leader’s connection with their followers was being perceived as positive or negative. According to Connors and Smith if you agree to three or more of the statements in this guideline, then you are not making a positive connection. Begin by rating yourself on each item on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest level of agreement with the statement and 10 being the highest level of agreement.
1. You visibly detect frustrations from people during your conversations with them.
2. You note that people begin making excuses before you get into a subject.
3. You hear virtually no positive feedback and receive little encouragement from people in a working relationship with you.
4. You notice that there is lively conversation when things are going well but you get little conversation when things are going poorly.
5. You can tell that people generally try to avoid you.
6. You feel like you always have to search for information, as others are reluctant to share information with you.
7. Your conversations with people tend to always focus on what is going wrong and not on what is going right.
If you score 7 or higher on 3 or more of the questions listed above, it would indicate that your current leader behaviour is hindering your ability to make a positive connection with others.
Every leader wants:
• Improved performance in all areas.
• Increased morale, quality, and productivity.
• Greater trust and accountability.
• A culture in which work is meaningful and its performers are valued.
In an environment such as this, the leaders are self-aware, serve as role models of responsible, professional behaviour, and have a positive emotional connection with their employees. Their employees, in turn, are highly collaborative; they understand what the organization is trying to achieve and how their behaviour and performance contribute to that bigger picture. Trust and accountability are not just expected; they are the norm. Do not wait to get some kind of wakeup call from a big problem to learn this lesson.
Source: Connors and Smith (2009, 23). Reprinted with permission from How Did That Happen? Published by Penguin Group, copyright, 2009.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.