Pride. Envy. Gluttony. Lust. Anger. Greed. Sloth. You either
recognize these as the seven deadly sins or as themes for
prime-time television. Nonetheless, you were probably taught as
a child that these are bad and you shouldn't do them. For
purposes of this article, do as you were taught and think bad
when you commit these similar sins in the workplace.
As leaders, we are continually being introduced to new
techniques and theories. Hammer & Champy's Business Process
Re-engineering Model, McKinsey's 7-S Framework, and Kenichi
Ohmae's 3C's Strategic Triangle are all examples of strategic
models designed to help leaders think about their business in
different and innovative ways. What sits on top of all of the
models and frameworks, though, are a series of foundational
attributes that every leader should possess if he or she is
going to have demonstrated, sustained success as a leader.
In my career as a leader, I've been fortunate enough to
experience a broad array of leadership situations where
sometimes I enjoyed fantastic success, and at other times
experienced dismal failure. In looking back at my failures, many
of them had nothing to do with a theory, framework, or
technology that was utilized. The failures had to do with cracks
in my own foundational attributes which left me vulnerable as a
leader. I've boiled these down to seven key sins which this
article will focus on to help you become a more effective
leader.
Sin #1 - Arrogance
Ever known a manager that consistently claimed to know more than
the rest of the team? How about one that was unwilling to listen
to opposing views? Isn't this just a sign of confidence? What's
wrong with that?
Confidence as a manager is crucial as people will look to you,
particularly when things get tough. When it runs amok and turns
to arrogance, the manager disrespects the team. Show respect and
have confidence and you'll do fine. Subtract out respect and
you're just an arrogant doofus.
Sin #2 - Indecisiveness
So you have a meeting on Monday and the management agrees on a
course of action. On Tuesday, the manager decides to take a
completely different course of action. Thursday the manager goes
back to Monday's course of action. The following Monday you're
back re-hashing through the same problem from last Monday. Blech.
Decisiveness means the manager listens to those around him or
her and then makes the best decision for the project that the
rest of the team can understand, and sticks to it. While team
members may not agree with the decision, they should be able to
see the rationale. Decisions without rationale or without
listening will ultimately frustrate the team and put a target on
your back.
Sin #3 - Disorganization
We've all known the manager that asks for the same information
multiple times, keeps the plan in their head versus writing
things down, or is so frantic that they're on the verge of
spontaneously combusting. Their disorganization creates unneeded
stress and frustration for the project team.
The manager needs to have a clear pathway paved for the staff to
get from start to completion, and make sure the ball moves
forward every day of the project. Disorganization leads to
frustration, which leads to either empathy or anarchy.
Sin #4 - Stubbornness
On one of my early project management jobs I was a month behind
schedule on a three-month project. I refused to alter the
project schedule insisting that I could "make up schedule" by
cutting corners and eliminating tasks. Despite the entire
project team telling me we were in deep yogurt, I stubbornly
forged ahead. I ended up never seeing the end of the project
because my stubbornness got me removed as the project manager.
Talk about your 2x4 across the head.
The manager may believe his or her view of reality is the right
way to go, but it's imperative that he or she balances their own
perspective with that of the rest of the project team.
Decisiveness without listening to the team leads to
stubbornness.
Sin #5 - Negativism
Years back, one of my peer managers, in their zeal to "manage
expectations" would consistently discuss the project in a
negative light. Either the focus was on what work didn't get
done, what the new issue of the week was, who wasn't doing their
job. Their negative attitude about the work, people, and purpose
of the project sapped the energy, enthusiasm, and passion out of
the work. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy; the project failed
because the project manager willed it to fail.
This one's simple; a glass-is-half-empty project manager is
going to be a horrible motivator and will sap the energy from a
team. This doesn't mean that you have to be a shiny-happy person
all the time; but that the project manager has to truly believe
in what he or she is doing and needs to positively motivate the
team to get there.
Sin #6 - Cowardice
Imagine this: the manager who, when pressed on a budget or
schedule over-run, will blame team members, stakeholders, or
anyone else that could possibly have contributed to their
non-performance. Much easier to play the blame game and
implicate others because everything didn't go perfectly as
planned. What a weenie.
It's perfectly OK to be self-critical and aware of your own
weaknesses and mistakes. For a leader to truly continue to grow
in their leadership capabilities they need to be the first to
admit their mistakes and learn from them as opposed to being the
last one to admit their mistakes.
Sin #7 - Untrustworthiness
Simply put, managers that don't display necessary skills, show
wisdom in their decisions, or demonstrate integrity aren't going
to be trusted. For the team to truly have trust in their leader,
they need to believe that the manager has the skills to manage
the project, the wisdom to make sound business decisions, and
the integrity to put the team's interests ahead of their own.
Take any one of these attributes away, and it's just a matter of
time before the manager gets voted off the island.
About the author:
Lonnie Pacelli has over 20 years' experience with Accenture and
Microsoft and is currently president of Leading on the Edge?
International. Lonnie's books include "The Project Management
Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups and How to Cut Them Off at
the Pass" and "The Truth About Getting Your Point Across". Get
the books, leadership products and a free email mini seminar at
http://www.leadingonedge.com.
|
