Solving the Leadership Dilemma
 

People are sensitive.  Every leader needs to lead change.  Yet change is what gets people upset.  Leading people who are upset is no fun at all.

Oddly enough, people struggle most with the little things.  Recently, I took on a temporary position as the Executive Director of a small charity.  I went into the position with the good intention of staying the course while a new full-time E.D. was recruited. 

Many good things happened during my time, but none stand out more than a couple of sensitivity moments that happened.   On one occasion, I set up the chairs for a staff meeting in a semi-circle, in order to give them a presentation.   I later got feedback that I was putting myself "above" the staff by setting myself up at the front of the group in that way.  "Too corporate," one staffer told me.

On another occasion, I asked this same person to get me a file folder from a storage location, during a particularly busy time for me.  She did it without complaint.   Later, she informed me that this was the most humiliating thing she had ever been asked to do, and had never heard such a request in all her thirty years in charity work!  "We're all equal here," she said indignantly.

When you're a leader, especially in a new situation, it is tough to foresee what will trigger an unhappy response from the people you are leading.  How you handle their sensitive feelings will have an enormous impact on their acceptance of you, as well as your enjoyment of your job.

How far should you go as the leader to accommodate their sensitivity?  That's a question every leader has to ask him or herself.  Certainly, I would have been willing to change the set up of the chairs or get the file folder myself, had I known at the time.  In both cases, the person never spoke up at the time it was happening, and my mind-reading skills are as poor as ever.   I also could have said I was wrong and asked her to forgive me.  That's a slice of humble pie that doesn't go down easily, especially for any leader with a strong ego.

The best solution is to be alert.   I call it, "be present!"  When you're present, your radar is sharp and you NOTICE the look on their face, the hesitation, the eye movements and the tone of voice that give away how a person really feels.  If you can catch their unhappiness right in the moment it is happening, you can often work it out right then and there.  Otherwise, you risk letting it become a permanent wound that breaks down trust and cooperation, to everyone's loss.

Enjoy your Labour Day weekend!

John Kuypers

If you have a high performer who stirs up people too much, call us at 1-877-688-6326.  You will see the difference in just one month.  WIN Leadership Executive Coaching specializes in coaching high-performing leaders who in their zeal are causing needless turmoil in the workplace.  Firing and rehiring is expensive.  Contact us first.  Go to http://www.winleadership.com/Programs/wincoaching.htm
 

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