Too Many So-Called Leaders Try To Hide

Many organizational leaders appear bravest, most brazen and opinionated, when they are talking about something either "off the record," or when the individual they consider the offender is not around. However, true leadership means having the "courage of one's convictions," and facing issues "head-on," instead of trying to "hide from adversity and controversy."

When one consults to leaders for three decades, as I have, it is often amusing (in a "gallows humor-type" way) to observe the differences between what certain individuals in leadership positions say to different people. Many of these "leaders" say one thing to some people, and something else to someone else. They often misuse the meaning of the word, "micromanage," by insisting that they do not like to micromanage, so they are staying "out of" a specific discussion. However, I have often observed these same individuals find "intermediaries" to do their "dirty work," and "fight their battles" for them.

I suggest that one reads my other article on micromanaging and when it is both needed and appropriate, as well as the difference between effective management (and leadership) and micromanagement. An effective leader realizes that while in an "ideal world," one would delegate much responsibility, in most organizations, because of either ineffective and inadequate, or lacking training, an effective leader must recognize that it is irresponsible to delegate to someone who does not have the necessities of getting the "job done."

Many ineffective and/ or weak leaders "want what they want," but have never done the essential due diligence to study the issue, understand all ramifications of either acting or not, and are either too lazy, too arrogant, or too ill-prepared to effectively and productively lead. In my three decades in this field, I have observed that ineffective leaders unfortunately out-number effective ones, yet that rarely prevents the ineffective leaders from feeling adamantly about something, someone, or some issue, although often not having gathered sufficient information to make an intelligent, well-thought-out decision.

Many of these ineffective leaders prefer to "play behind the scenes," and get others to run interference. I believe that one of the reasons they often do this is that they are more interested in themselves than their organization, they are more interested in popularity than being effective, and many are "cowards." There is certainly nothing wrong with a leader taking a strong position on any issue! In fact, to be an effective leader, one has to, at times, take a "strong stand." However, an effective leader does his homework, and fights his own battles, while, all too often, others merely act from either emotion or self-interest, and either don't research sufficiently, or do not know how to do so. Once again, this points to one of the major challenges that most organizations have - - a dearth of leadership because of inadequate qualification processes, and poor or no leadership training!