There is a common misconception in business that in order to improve performance it is necessary to spend large amounts of money on big, complex leadership interventions and management system changes. Schuitema Associates has however been arguing for the past 25 years that this way of going about performance management is misguided.
To understand how to go about improving performance it is crucial to understand what essentially accounts for organisational success. In reality organisational success is accounted for on the basis of the contribution made by the people within the organisation. Healthy and successful organisations are those that have competent people committed to going the extra mile for the organisation. It is in fact this going the extra mile which truly accounts for organisational success.
This commitment is ultimately an aspect of the employees’ intent. Individuals who are committed to going the extra mile are more concerned about what they are putting in to the organisation than what they are getting out of it. They are predominantly motivated by the intent to give to the organisation and for this reason are highly concerned about making a contribution to the organisation. AN organisation that is populated by individuals
What is becoming increasingly apparent is that it is in fact the quality of the leadership that is the most significant variable when it comes to keeping top talent meaningfully engaged in and committed to an organisation. A survey conducted by Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters found that more than 97% of top executives said it was of the utmost importance to them to respect and work well with their direct superiors in an organisation, and that leadership concerns would definitely contribute to a decision to look at career options elsewhere.
As Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, said: “A leader who is not able to galvanise a team will soon see productivity, motivation, retention and business suffer. Just as great leadership reputations draw the best talent, so bad leadership will push even the best, most motivated talent away.”
Interestingly the report found that the top bad behaviours in leaders which will make a company’s top talent search for greener pastures are a real or perceived lack of integrity, inconsistency and unfulfilled promises, internal politicking and back-stabbing behaviour and unfair or unrealistic demands which become invasive to personal life.
All of these bad leadership leadership behaviours boil down to a failing in the leader’s intent. The point is simply that the leader that is not concerned for his staff and their well being, will fail to treat his staff in a manner that keeps them engaged. There is a benevolent intent that sits under all appropriate behaviour and this is no different for leaders. What we see is that there is an “other-centeredness” rather than a “self-centeredness” that underlies the actions of a good leader.
The bad behaviours we see in leadership are so damaging because they show the subordinates the fabric of the leader’s intent. We in fact see that all bad behaviours are the result of the leader intentionally pursuing his own self-interest. It is not the behaviour itself that is damaging, it is the self-interested intent that the behaviour uncovers that is so damaging. The self-centeredness that underlies the bad behaviours is the most essential failing of a leader. A leader who is gunning his own interests does not deserve to be called a leader and most definitely will fail to inspire his subordinates in any meaningful manner.