Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Tabije: How to fail as a leader By Maeng Tabije Notions Plus
(Part I)
IN THIS article, I will use the word "leader" as generic term to also refer to a manager or an executive.
What's with the title of this article? Am I encouraging failure? Far from it.
Most literatures about leadership talk about how to succeed as a leader. They enumerate the factors that can bring about leadership success. Seldom do we hear about failure factors.
If it were a basketball game, by analogy, most of the things we read are about offense; with only a grudging discussion about defense. Now, anybody who is familiar with basketball knows that even the best offensive team in the world can't shine unless it has equally impressive defensive skills.
It's the same with leadership, you may possess most of the ideal leadership traits that make for success but if you don't defend yourself against the failure factors, then be ready to fail.
So here they are, the things I feel you need to guard against:
1. Lack of Vision
People like to follow someone who knows where to go, and gets unimpressed with one who doesn't. But having a vision is not enough. You have to articulate and sell it to all your stakeholders so that they internalize it as their own.
You can't be like the Roman general who, seeing his soldiers massing from his balcony, says to himself: "I must know where my soldiers are going so I can lead them there."
2. Lack of Character
Integrity and credibility are some of the highest credentials a real leader must possess. You must do what you say. And never make the mistake of assuming that, just because you are the leader, you can say one thing and do the other. If it's not okay for your members to be late then see to it that you are not a habitual tardy person yourself.
When you commit to deliver anything -- e.g. a product or a report, cultivate a reputation for delivering on time. Even if it means paying for overtime premium of your staff, or going on overtime yourself.
If you can't join a meeting where your attendance is expected, inform your colleagues in advance. If you can't come on time, at least a send a text message before the appointed time.
If you can't deliver something you committed on time despite all extra efforts, call up your customer before the committed date. Don't wait for a follow-up after the agreed date has lapsed.
Pay your debt promptly, even if you have to borrow elsewhere just to be able to pay. No one ever went far, leader or not -- who does not have a good credit reputation. Unfortunately, if debt repayment were a subject, an inordinately large number of Filipinos will get a failing grade.
3. Indecisiveness.
An organization exists to do and achieve something. In the process, a lot of things need to be decided on day-to-day. It is not at all unusual for an organization to encounter every now and then situations where hard decisions are needed to be made; situations where the best choices are "between the devil and the deep blue sea." In situations like these, real leaders can't be seen as indecisive, otherwise they lose their leadership aura.
There are instances when you will be like the head of a team of firemen facing a burning inferno. You can't be seen by people as spending too much time analyzing, planning and organizing what to do. Just start turning your water hoses on the fire and plan your next moves as you go.
(To be continued next Tuesday)
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Answer to last week's teaser: Eggs came much ahead of chickens. Dinosaurs started laying eggs long before chickens evolved. (I didn't say chicken eggs, did I?)
Today's teaser (answer next Tuesday): How could all of your cousins have an aunt who is not your aunt?
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Ismael D. Tabije does consultancy work for the UN, the WB and the EC. Visit his website BestManagementArticles.com for more management ideas. Email comments to: idtabije@gmail.com.
