It’s become a universal truth that there is a lack of leadership in both the public and private sectors. In fact, many would believe that leadership is quickly becoming extinct. Given the cultural demographic shift, most leaders lack the readiness to see diversity and inclusion as a profit center rather than a traditional cost center. Let’s face it, today’s business climate is telling us that it is becoming less about the business defining the individual and more about the individual defining the business . What does this mean? Leaders are becoming less relevant because their businesses are losing their competitive advantage. Instead of committing to understand how to serve the unique needs of their employees and customers, they focus solely on what they believe (assume) is in their best interests.
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Many of today’s leaders represent a library of rhetoric. Lots of fancy words and inspirational catch phrases that attempt to impress us instead create confusion along the way. Employees and customers alike have grown tired of false promises and as the political climate in America has shown us, anger, frustration and dissatisfaction has risen to the surface. It has become clear that today’s leaders are no longer as courageous as they once were – and as a result – they lack the vulnerability to genuinely connect with those they serve and thus find it difficult to earn trust and build meaningful relationships. Rather than strengthen their competencies to lead more effectively, many leaders are in search of short-cuts while leveraging their authority/title to get by. The outcome: The chaos that comes with widening gaps in their performance, missed opportunities they cannot see, and the inability to anticipate uncertainty and manage change before circumstances force their hand.
Recently, I spoke to a group of CEOs about the widening gaps in leadership. One of the growing trends I shared is that leaders are becoming more and more complacent. Rather than turn the spotlight of accountability on themselves, there was a tendency to shine the light of accountability on others. Leaders must take greater ownership to remain relevant for the organizations and industries they serve. Being an effective leader is hard work; harder than ever before, because it requires continuous reinvention. And who wants to adopt a new mindset that must welcome change in order to evolve? For many, it’s not easy. As a leader, you must have the stamina for the fight to let go of the old ways of doing things to be significant again. And for those leaders that remain complacent, they put their organizations, employees and customers they serve at risk. Complacent leaders fail in their primary responsibility of enabling the full potential in people and the organizations they serve and are at risk of becoming irrelevant if they don’t evolve how they lead so that the business can grow and compete in the 21st century.
People see through the words of a leader who is not authentic and has not earned their trust. Words ring hollow when you are just paying lip service to your audience. The words that leaders use have lost their meaning and in the process – the value they once had. The political climate in America reminds us of the consequences when leaders use words irresponsibly. When there is a lack of clarity and understanding around the words that leaders use – confusion, silos and tension abound – and in the process, performance gaps widen. For example, the word “accountability” has lost its meaning and value. At its core, accountability is when a leader can be relied upon to have the backs of those they serve. And in today’s workplace and marketplace, this means that leaders must be more self-aware about understanding and knowing how to serve the unique differences and needs of their employees and customers. The word accountability requires leaders to work with a generous purpose and sustain high levels of reciprocity in an effort to be more intimate with their customers and employees –to stay 5-10 steps ahead of the curve to assure that their organization is never blindsided. Accountability demands that a leader take ownership of their actions to assure the marketplace never passes them by. The result if they don’t is that they will quickly lose their impact and influence, and whatever momentum they have gained will just as quickly be gone.