Are you underperforming as a Leader?
Don't make these mistakes: the signs that tell you you're failing as a leader
How often do you find yourself wondering if you're doing your job well? The actions and decisions of a leader have a greater impact than those of an individual contributor and can be a hindrance to the progress of the team and the organization. I know, I know, I've already talked about metrics and strategies for measuring leader's success here 👇:
Far be it from me to repeat the same concepts again. What I want to do instead is look at it from the opposite perspective: how do I know if I'm not doing my job well? I've identified four Critical Areas where a leader's underperformance can have a negative impact.
Critical Areas
Behavioral Area
This Critical Area deals with the specific behaviors of the leader that can positively or negatively influence the team and the organization. Some signs of underperformance are the following ones.
Lack of active listening
Not giving full attention to the team's ideas, feedback, and concerns, often interrupting or showing disinterest.
Micromanagement
Excessively controlling every detail of the team's work, limiting the autonomy and professional growth of team members.
Avoiding conflicts
Actively avoiding open discussions and confrontations on differing opinions, fearing to create tensions among members.
Relational Area
The Relational Area is about the interpersonal dynamics within the team and between the leader and their collaborators.
Low mutual trust
You don’t demonstrate trust in the team's abilities and don’t create a work environment based on collaboration and sincerity.
High turnover
The team is characterized by a high resignation rate, often due to dissatisfaction, lack of recognition, or growth opportunities.
One-way communication
You predominantly communicate in a top-down manner, without encouraging dialogue and feedback from the team.
Operational Area
This area impacts the results achieved by the team and the processes that lead to those results.
Lack of clear vision
The team does not have a clear understanding of the long-term goals and strategic direction of the organization.
Unmet objectives
The set goals are not achieved due to inadequate planning, insufficient resources, or poor collaboration among team members.
Reactive approach
You and your team are constantly engaged in managing emergency situations, without dedicating time to strategic planning and problem prevention.
Cultural Area
The Cultural Area focuses on the work environment created by the leader and their values.
Excessive tolerance of mediocrity
You don’t encourage excellence and settle for mediocre results, limiting the team's growth and motivation.
Resistance to change
You are reluctant to adopt new ideas or modify existing processes, creating an uninnovative and static environment.
Lack of feedback
When you don’t provide constructive and regular feedback, collaborators may feel undervalued, uncertain about their skills, and demotivated.
TL;DR
The signals I've described are the ones I try to pay attention to in order to answer the question: am I underperforming as a leader? Moreover, at different times and depending on the circumstances, it can happen that one stops performing well in one of the Critical Areas and ignores the signals. This is precisely why feedback from the people we work closely with is a very powerful tool for realizing the direction you're heading in.
I'm quite sure there are other signals to pay attention to, and I'd love for you to share yours with me to see if there's anything important I'm overlooking.
Credits: Illustration 1