'Working Wounded': Blind Leading the Blind
May 27, 2005 — -- DEAR WOUNDED: I'm new in a leadership position in my company. The guy who had the job before me was let go. What can I do to be a more effective leader?
ANSWER: Travis Williams can teach us everything we need to know about leadership. He isn't a professor, chief executive officer or business consultant. He was recently arrested for driving on Interstate 380 near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the hood of his car open and totally blocking his view as he drove down the street. The police picked him up craning his neck out the window to see where he was going.
Williams had a huge blind spot and so do most of the leaders that I've met. That's why it's so important for everyone in a leadership position to ask themselves hard questions on a regular basis. I've listed some below. For more, check out "Why CEOs Fail" by Dotlich and Cairo (Jossey-Bass, 2003).
How is that working for you? Everyone likes to make fun of Dr. Phil. But his question, "how is that working for you?" is one that most of us don't ask ourselves nearly enough. Given tools like the 360 evaluation, where employees can rate their boss, there is no reason to not know exactly how you are doing as a leader.
Where are you vulnerable? Dotlich and Cairo have identified 11 "derailers" or behaviors that can undo a leader: arrogance, melodrama, volatility, excessive caution, habitual distrust, aloofness, mischievousness, eccentricity, passive resistance, perfectionism, eagerness to please.
Do you analyze the adversity you are facing? I'm a big believer in avoiding problems whenever possible. That's why it's so important to learn everything you can from past mistakes. What patterns can you spot, what behaviors got you into trouble and what did your critics say that ended up being right -- are a few great places to start.
Do you listen to your customers? Ah, customers. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Sure a lot of customers today are just focused on getting more for less. As much as they can drive you crazy it is really important to see every interaction as a focus group where you can learn something new.
Do you have a mentor or confidant? Many leaders see mentorship as a one-way street, something that they do for others, but that they really don't need anymore. I couldn't disagree with this more strongly. Recently I heard about "reverse mentoring" where bosses get mentored by younger workers on the front lines to learn about the challenges that they face and about how the point of view of a younger worker can differ from the older bosses. Everyone can profit from being mentored by someone.
Do you force yourself to change? As we get older it is easier to get set in your ways. I'm a big believer that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
Watch that blind spot and you'll have the vision to fix whatever ails you.
We'd like to hear your strategy for succeeding as a leader. I'll give an autographed copy of "Working Wounded: Advice that adds insight to injury" (Warner, 2000) to the best submission. Send your entry, name & address via: http://workingwounded.com or via e-mail: bob@workingwounded.com. Entries must be received by Wednesday (May 19).
Here are the results from a recent workingwounded.com/ABCnews.com online ballot:
Do you feel challenged at work?
Our winning strategy for getting a job comes from V.E. in University Place, Wash.
"I totally agree with the gentlemen who was trying to look for work through the Internet. I, myself, was in the same situation. I had eight months of unemployment and my main complaint was there was no face-to-face. How can you sell yourself on just paper? A lot of my job interviews did not just rely on my experience but how I connected personally with the interviewer. When sending my résumé, most of the time I only had a post office box address and didn't even have a phone number to make sure they even received my résumé! Thankfully, I now have a job, but it was from me hitting the pavement and not the keyboard!"
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Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. His newest best seller, "GRAY MATTERS: The Workplace Survival Guide" (Wiley, 2004), is a business comic book that trades cynicism for solutions. Ask Bob a question: bob@workingwounded.com or http://graymattersbook.com
ABCNEWS.com publishes a new Working Wounded column every Friday.
