DIFFICULT LEADERSHIP

As I reflect on February’s observations, one theme emerged.

Organisations and governments are reverting to making the practice of leading, more difficult, as opposed to making it easy to do.

Is this a knee-jerk reaction to the conflicting demands of bosses and workers in a post-pandemic world?

We have research and resources to educate and inform how people prefer to be led yet we continue to hear people complain about the lack of leadership being experienced.

Over the past few weeks, many experiences reinforced this feeling I have and the data I’ve been collected is disappointing.

Tell me what you think about these examples:

🧱A remark in a meeting caught my attention, “there are invisible walls in our business”; followed by an example when probed, “we’re not allowed to use or share other teams’ spaces.

= Silos, internal competition, lack of collaboration, inequity

😮‍💨While helping a team set their ‘hybrid team rules’, they voted on the key preventer of sticky rules; it was unanimous, unspoken rules.

= Distrust, hierarchy, lack of accountability & responsibility

👩‍🌾A comment within the public service group created laughter (aka agreement), “the EA is the gatekeeper”.

= Lack of connection, presence, and too much hierarchy

👩‍🔧And the icing on the cake, I overheard this in the lift on my way to a client discovery meeting, “have you received the unofficial email”.

= Lack of transparency and an increase in distrust

Making leadership easy as opposed to difficult is about clear communication, collaboration, co-regulation of emotions, compassion, and connection.

How will you make leadership easy during March?