The Liability of Lethargic Leadership, Part II

by Richard Russey

In Part I of the Liability of Lethargic Leadership I looked at a number of indicators that may act as warning signals or red flags that one’s leadership efforts are becoming a bit languid. On the bright side, I offered remedies that may be applied to get back on track and bring a degree of appropriate zest back into the role of a leader.

Part II explores a number of additional indicators of lethargic leadership and relevant recommended solutions, including: avoiding adjustments to work plans based on changing internal and external factors; inconsistent follow through on “walking the talk”; lack of desire to roll up one’s sleeves and jump in to work through heavy task loads with the team; lack of networking with peers and professionals in related businesses; lack of making contributions to your field of work by making presentations at professional conferences, writing articles, research, and other activities; letting your day happen to you, rather than taking charge in the creation of your day; and disengagement from forward looking resource management.

Avoiding Adjustments to Work Plans
Many well-intentioned leaders diligently construct work plans (goals, objectives, outcome expectations, even job descriptions) and then immediately fall into the trap of "concretizing" those plans with a strict adherence that disallows change due to internal and external factors. I previously mentioned that one of the most valuable concepts to embrace in business, indeed in life, is that “change is the only constant.” That concept definitely applies here. Without a doubt, both internal and external factors are going to change as you move into the action phase of your work plan. Dare I say, that concept writ large could be described as the universe – whether one looks at it from a scientific perspective or from the heart of a poet – the universe as a whole, as expansive as you can imagine it, is in a state of constant flux and change. Any attempt to struggle against the tide of change that WILL occur in every aspect of our lives (and business) is a futile and foolhardy exercise.

It helps, I think, to look at the potential change that may impact our work plans. It also helps to recognize the fact that change can be positive as often as negative. In fact, in my view, change is always positive – for in every change dynamic there is at least a kernel of opportunity for applying creativity, adopting a new outlook, and even learning to deal with disaster without becoming overwhelmed by negative circumstances. So, what are some of the changes, both mundane and extraordinary, that may impact our well-intentioned, carefully crafted work plans? It is a long list, so I’ll mention but a few: the always fluctuating economy (globally, nationally, locally, and your own bottom line); shifting demographics which serve to require constant attention to knowing your audience, constituency, or customers; the evolving characteristics of the available workforce (age, education and skill levels, and their expectations and dreams of fulfilling and rewarding work); natural disasters, including everything from hurricanes to floods to fires to very personal “natural disasters” such as illness and accidents that can effect your team; the presence or absence of other businesses or vendors that you may depend on to do your work; and finally, don’t forget that YOU change too – your mood from day to day, your energy around the work you do and your leadership efforts, your state of health, your personal economy, and other factors too numerous to mention. So, I think, point made – things are going to change. You have really only one option if you wish to remain viable in the work or business you are engaged in, and in life generally – that is to not only hang on for the ride, but to learn to effectively ride the wave of change, and take advantage of the exhilaration it offers.

On a very practical level, every team meeting agenda should include a bullet point that addresses change: what has changed that influences what we do? what is going to change in the near future?; how is change going to impact our organization?; and what can we do to address that change in an effort to stay abreast of it, or even better, anticipate it and begin to adjust before it occurs? Then, allow your team to participate in the conceptualization of addressing change. I promise you, if you’ve hired well, if you’ve brought people into your enterprise who have the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience to do the jobs they were hired for, they will be brimming with thoughts and ideas and will be extraordinarily valuable resources as you address change with the intent of making it work for you instead of against your well-considered plans.

Inconsistent Follow-Through on “Walking the Talk”
As is often said, “Talk is cheap.” Results are all in the implementation of the talk which we have come to know as the “walk,” that is, the action that follows talk so that it manifests in reality. Therefore, it is obviously important to be careful what you say in the first place. Your team depends on you for inspiration, intelligence, experience, creativity, motivation, and actions that support the organization as a whole, and their piece of the action specifically. So, don’t talk it if you can’t walk it! All that is required here is to be very mindful of what you allow to come out of your mouth (or pen, or computer). Think it through before you communicate with your team. Don’t make promises that you cannot keep. Be realistic with your team and give the "straight-up" every time you meet with them. Boastful talk, if not based on irrefutable fact will only be seen as arrogance. Asking your team to do things you would not do yourself is akin to asking them to walk the plank, to take the hit for you, and is seen as cowardly. Obviously, this does not mean that you could or should be able to do every job of your team members – after all you hired a team of experts, hopefully smarter than you in any number of ways. But, this does mean that metaphorically, at least, you are willing to stand side by side with your team whenever risk of any nature is involved – and isn’t engaging in just about any endeavor in these challenging times a risk?

Exhibiting the “I Don’t Roll Up My Sleeves” Syndrome
There are few actions that are more meaningful to your team than your willingness and even eagerness to jump into the work, sleeves rolled up (metaphorically or actually) ready to do the work of your organization. There should be no task that you would consider above your engagement. Does the receptionist need a short break to make a phone call to his/her child’s school, and there is no one else to cover? Jump in – it would be good to experience the life of a receptionist for a few minutes. What types of calls are received? How best to answer the phone? How to artfully juggle several lines at once? And, imagine the delight of a customer getting the “boss” of the organization on the first ring! Do you feel that you are above answering the phones for a few minutes? Then, I suggest you are not as authentic a leader as you imagine yourself. That is an example – there are many other times when your efforts to assist your team in getting the work done (without ignoring your own work) will go a long way in establishing a bond of respect and trust and gratitude. I don’t know of a leader who doesn’t want respect and trust and gratitude. But the reality is, it must be earned.

Another example is during times of heavy work load activity. For example, I served for a number of years as a project director leading teams in organizing and implementing training conferences for a major government client. My mantra was, “all hands on deck” starting about a week out from the event, and continuing until the event was successfully completed. I made an effort to be one of the first in the staff office at any given hotel in the morning, and to stay as long as there was a need to assist staff at the end of the day. This does not mean that I ignored my job as project director – I still served as the chief contact with the client, attended numerous meetings with the leadership of the client throughout the event, served as moderator for plenary sessions, and in other ways fulfilled my leadership role. But, I also distributed handouts prior to plenary or breakout sessions, unpacked boxes filled with supplies when they arrived at the hotel, and stayed to the very end of the conference and assisted the team with packing up, cleaning up, and making sure everyone on the team was thanked for their efforts during a final closure meeting.

If you do not do so already, “roll up your sleeves” and work alongside your team when the tasks at hand require it and you’ll be amazed at the dividends such actions will pay.

Lack of Networking Efforts
One sure sign of lethargic leadership is the avoidance or lackluster engagement in networking with peers, organizations, constituencies, vendors, and others who may serve to support your vision, mission, and goals. Perhaps the reasons for a lack of networking effort are numerous – from shyness, to lack of confidence, to fear of engaging the competition. However, I believe that meaningful networking in its many permutations is an essential leadership task. The good news is that “networking” as an activity covers a very wide territory, allowing you to engage in the kind of networking that best suits your personality and goals. The one factor that is a constant is that a good leader must initiate the networking effort. There are some “built-in” opportunities to network at professional conferences; and networking gatherings of like-minded professionals are increasingly common in many areas, including most major urban areas. Go the Internet to find them – if you are not already engaged in networking, you will be amazed at the variety of opportunities for networking that fill the calendar.

However, if chatting with a large number of your peers over cocktails and nibble food at the end of a long day is not your preference, consider the many alternatives: a coffee break; golfing or any recreational activity that is conducive to a balance of activity and talking; the gym; lunch or dinner meetings; arts events; one-on-ones in hotel lobbies during professional meetings; and professionally-related Internet chat rooms; and other forums of varied characteristics that allow you an opportunity to talk about what you do; listen (this is important!) to what others do; exchange business cards or contact information; and stay current with others out there who share some commonality relevant to your organization and its mission.

Follow-up with contacts made at any of the myriad forums is essential. In my experience the brief chat with an exchange of business cards or contact information typically ends there unless you take the initiative to follow-up with that contact. Perhaps the follow-up is as simple as a communication about enjoying the conversation and meeting a fellow leader engaged in work that has some connection or commonality with your organization. Or, the follow-up may be for the purpose of further discussion around an idea or exchange that would be mutually beneficial to both parties. Sometimes, the initial networking meet-and-greet leads to a beneficial long-term connection that is a win-win for both leaders involved and their organizations.

The Dearth of Making Professional Contributions
The lack of contributing to your field of work by making presentations at professional conferences, writing articles, research, and other activities is a slow professional “death.” Given the abundance of opportunities for contributing to your field of expertise, it is really an example of lethargic leadership if a leader fails to engage in adding to the robust and ongoing dialogue around any given area of work. There are all of the opportunities mentioned above, as well as writing a blog, writing a book, teaching
a class, and speaking before community or professional audiences. Of course there are other means of contributing to your field of work, the only requirement of you as a leader is that you find the appropriate means and venue to contribute. The technology of our age, with Facebook and Twitter, and a number of professional/social networking sites makes this an exceedingly easy leadership task to fulfill. Share your ideas and your thoughts about the work you do freely. The benefits can be significant, including a bump to your business and its bottom line.

Letting Your Day Happen to You
If you, as a leader, let your day happen to you rather than taking charge of the creation of your day via thoughtful planning, task lists, daily goals, and adherence to a schedule that is realistic to your particular situation then, yes, you are likely being a lethargic leader.

I’ve written previously on this subject, and refer you to my blog posting dated April 14, 2009, entitled “Creating Your Day.” In that article I referenced the paraphrase of a brilliant line written by Tennessee Williams for his play Suddenly Last Summer: “Carve each day as if it were a sculpture.” With that simple but profound concept, we have the opportunity to take control of our day rather than allow ourselves to be battered about by the chaos that can, and often does, threaten to engulf us and take us away from our intended goals, purposes, and expected outcomes. Without a carefully sculpted plan, we risk wasting time, being taken off course by a myriad of interruptions, and end up feeling frustrated and unfulfilled at day’s end.

A review of my article on "creating your day" rather than letting it happen to you reveals that there are a few major aspects related to the act of taking charge of your day(s): purpose; intention; goal orientation; organization; adaptability; passion; and inspiration. Rather than to insult the reader with a copy and paste of that previous article, I encourage you to go back to that posting and review the details that will allow you to be in charge in a very meaningful way. Suffice it to say here – you have a choice (of course I contend that you always have a choice). But, often it feels like we do not have a choice, that we are boxed in by events or circumstances that are beyond our influence. To that idea, I say “baloney!” One of the very most important qualities of leadership is, in fact, the act of boldly leading, forging pathways, sometimes paddling against the current, but doing so with a solid plan in place, a plan of your specific creation, a plan that supports your success.

Disengaging from Forward Looking Resource Management
This is one of the gravest dangers of lethargic leadership. Managing an organization’s resources appropriately, with an eye on trends and the future is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader. The good news is that there are only three major resources one has to manage: human (people – your team); time; and money. There may be many subsets of those three, but one way or another all resources boil down to people, time, or money. The challenging news is that these three major resource areas require constant attention; and the leader is always engaged in a balancing act requiring skill and experience to manage if there is to be any expectation of success.

A leader must engage in allocating resources with the right mix of addressing today’s needs while scoping the horizon for the need to restructure resource allocations for tomorrow. This requires constant vigilance and a strategic mind to manage effectively. It is a balancing act to be sure. When time is limited, often more financial and human resources must be applied to meet a deadline. Where money is insufficient, time frames may need to be extended (or shortened), but personnel may need to be limited. There are many variations of this balancing act. The point here is that a leader cannot be disengaged from the whole concept of resource management and expect to succeed over time.

Of course, this resource balancing act also requires in-depth knowledge about each one of these resources. What are the time factors that guide any given project? What levels of staff expertise exist to bring to a project? What is the budget allocated to the project, and if it is insufficient can additional funds be acquired? A leader cannot be unfamiliar with any of these resource areas and expect to put together the ratio of resources that will lead to the successful fulfillment of a task or project.

In summation, then, Eric Hoffer’s words ring so very true:

A “leader has to be practical and a realist; yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.”

And, I’ll add my own caveat:

A leader must be fully engaged on both the practical and visionary level with zest and energy lest a dangerous and intractable lethargy become a major liability.