THE IMPACT OF POOR LEADERSHIP IN AN ORGANIZATION
"Great and pure thoughts cannot be deposited in minds accumulated with rubbish."
― Michael Bassey Johnson
Welcome to the STRUGZ platform where life principles, careers, and business tips are shared. In business, being a leader doesn’t just fill a job title. You must have the capacity to motivate your team to enable them to deliver their tasks in a timely manner and in line with the overall goals of the company. In this week’s edition, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most impactful results that poor leadership can have in your workplace as well as changes that will make the difference.
Leadership is one of the most important factors determining the success of a company. Poor leadership can seriously affect employee morale and even cause the company's bottom line to plunge. Bad leadership leads to poor employee retention and demotivates the remaining employees, causing them to be much less productive than they would otherwise be. A bad leader will not listen to their subordinates. They do not value any input from their employees.
A great leader runs more than a successful business, they are charismatic examples of their company's culture and vision. When you can spot a bad leader, you can avoid the pitfalls that would make you a bad leader in your own business and recognize it in your managers and strengthen your leadership as well as that of your managers. Here are three of the biggest problems with leadership today:
1. Failure to Communicate.
The complexity of today's business world requires CEOs to be able to communicate on multiple levels. For example, you must create the vision and persuade your team to make it their vision too. You must connect on an individual level and inspire people to move from "I" to "we." And you must build trust by ensuring your verbal communication and your non-verbal actions reinforce each other.
Effective communication is so hard because it takes commitment. You must make effective communication a priority and that takes discipline, consistency, clarity of message, and a willingness to keep at it day after day.
2. Lack of Accountability
If you notice that the big things are not getting done and good ideas fall through the cracks, you lack accountability. We all need scoreboards that track the results we want. Most CEOs know this but putting this system into place requires self-discipline and focus. Build the systems you need to support accountability and do not get distracted until they are a part of your operations.
3. Poor Execution
There are three reasons leaders fail to execute. First, they do not follow their plan with discipline. Second, they fail to keep score on what matters. Third, they do not have the right people in the right jobs to make it happen. If you can assemble these three puzzle pieces, you can put your company on track to win.
HOW POOR LEADERSHIP AFFECTS EMPLOYEES
It is a common phrase and notion that employees do not quit jobs; they quit their bosses. And it turns out; there's research to back it up. Statistics from DDI, a leadership consulting firm, showed that 57% of employees who left their company in 2019, did so specifically because of issues they had with their boss. There are many repercussions to poor leadership strategies in your workplace. From unengaged employees, who lack any investment in your company's culture, to an unhappy workplace who may be ready to walk out the door, we will cover one of the main effects of poor leadership in the workplace:
Lack of Engagement and Motivation
Employees who have a clear direction and strong leadership from their direct managers/supervisors are more likely to perform better, while employees who lack direction are more likely to feel stressed and unmotivated. If you want to meet and exceed goals and better serve your customers, you need to emphasize motivating your employees. This all circles back to your leaders. Are they engaged and committed to your company values? Are you micromanaging your employees? Furthermore, are you fully invested in developing employees at all levels?
HOW TO STABILIZE POOR LEADERSHIP EFFECTS ON EMPLOYEES
Determine the Cause
A company leader can be affected by factors beyond the workplace that interfere with his/her performance on the job. Invite the leader to talk in private about whatever pressing issues could be negatively affecting his/her work. A medical, marital, parental, or financial problem might have developed in the leader's life that weighs heavy and distracts his/her focus.
Turning Around Poor Leadership
As you can see, the effects of poor leadership on your organization and workforce can be detrimental. Having unmotivated, unengaged employees leads to customers who are not being properly served. Essentially, high employee turnover means you are spending a fortune on replacing and training your new hires while trying to get them up to speed. A lack of morale and support for the culture you are building in your workplace will result in employees who are looking for an opportunity to leave. Be sure to conduct exit interviews regularly to check-in and see why your employees are moving on to other opportunities. Additionally, collaborate with your human resources department to address changes that will impact common deficiencies.
A Better Leader wants to support the workplace and encourage collaboration between the leaders and employees at all levels. Focus on connection, motivation, and behavioral change at a cultural level to support your entire organization and create consistent leadership training that works. At Strugz We are happy to help you with a custom solution that will increase employee engagement, reduce employee retention, and strengthen your overall employee experience.
