Time and time again I see potentially effective leaders let themselves down when it comes to the “crunch” of communicating their thoughts/ position/ beliefs to others who they are responsible for leading. Why ? In my view it is mainly due to three key reasons:
a) They haven’t really firmed-up in the own mind what their position/ decision is – they remain unsure of what message/ guidance to communicate when they stand-up to convey their position.
b) They don’t wish to “get off-side” with those who they are responsible for leading (i.e. disappoint their constituents/ shareholders).
c) They don’t want to be held accountable for making the “wrong decision”.
You can tell when a leader hasn’t yet convinced themselves of the best decision to make/ right direction to advance in. The giveaway signs are in “how” they verbally communicate their position; more often than not using a tone of voice that suggest that they’re looking for affirmation/ confirmation of what they’re saying from the audience in front of them. Effective leaders don’t look for such affirmation – rather, they simply deliver their message with confidence and conviction and manage audience reaction/ response consequently.
The least effective leaders I have come across during my lifetime are those who are seemingly so concerned with “keeping everyone happy”, that the best decision that has the greatest chance of positively impacting at least the majority of stakeholders is overlooked and/ or not communicated. Newsflash: it simply is not possible to please all the people all of the time !
A “people-pleaser” leadership style inevitably results in the person in the leadership position becoming more of a politician than an effective pragmatic leader. Consequently, they end-up viewing challenges made in relation to their ideas as “personal attacks”, and they quickly become embroiled in political debate. “People-pleasers” are more concerned with stroking their own ego and strengthening their position of power/ influence/ glamour, than making the right practical decision that best meets the needs of the people that they’re responsible for leading.
Finally, the sign of a strong and effective leader is when they courageously stand-up and make/ communicate the right decision despite what critics around them say at the time of making the decision, or afterwards. They believe in themselves and know inherently what the right thing to do is, even if the right thing means taking a high risk and has the potential to “back-fire” on the decision-maker. Such leaders are mature and accustomed to taking responsibility for their decisions and actions – they are used to being accountable.
My advice is that if you’re looking to propel your organisation forward with plenty of momentum then avoid appointing “people-pleasers” to leadership positions. Rather, select and appoint people who are pragmatic by nature, who have a proven track record of backing themselves when it comes to making tough calls, and who communicate their position clearly, confidently and with conviction. You may not always like – or agree with – the decisions that such leaders make, but you will be able to have confidence in their ability to objectively make the right decisions and take the right courses of action in the best interests of at least the majority of people who they are responsible for providing leadership to.