There are ALWAYS warning signs. It hardly ever comes as a complete surprise.
Team members begin backing away. Meetings lose energy and focus. Complaints rise. Morale falls.
Then one day it becomes painfully clear – something isn’t working.
Here are 4 warning signs that your leadership isn’t working…
1. Self-preservation
Are you looking out for yourself or are you serving others? Are you following your own agenda or helping others to realize their potential and fulfill their dreams?
When self-preservation is present, leaders resort to manipulation. Sometimes the behaviors are subtle. Sometimes they’re blatant.
Either way, when leadership evolves into manipulation, relationships and organizations suffer. Because people and teams aren’t interested in following someone who is in it for themselves.
Ask yourself: Why am I doing this?
2. Unhealthy
A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to 4 critical gauges to assess health in my life and work – Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Emotional.
You can read more about these gauges here.
How you FEEL about how you are doing does not matter nearly as much as how you’re REALLY doing.
You CAN make the conscious decision to live healthy in these 4 critical areas of life and work, so you have more to offer than a handful of years of frenzied activity.
If we are not holistically healthy, we simply cannot live and lead effectively. We cannot respond to challenges and opportunities calmly and decisively.
Ask yourself: Am I physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally healthy?
3. Lost
There was a huge vision for growth. The organization restructured, launched a new initiative, and began gaining momentum. Then the negative feedback started – and it came from influential people. And that’s when you found out how committed the leader really was – and how committed the team really was.
YOU were doing great – then you weren’t. What happened?!
It’s not that you weren’t committed at all. You were! Maybe you just weren’t as committed as you thought you were.
What causes us to give up on our goals? Why do we so readily abandon our dreams?
Commitment doesn’t mean much anymore. But it still means something to you – you meant it and you’re going to follow through. You’re going to reach your goal!
Ask yourself: What one step can I take today to get back on track?
4. Sign language
Do your team members think you’re deaf?
Let’s face it – you aren’t really in a position to objectively answer that question. And neither am I.
Nobody – absolutely no one – is interested in me sitting across the desk from them waiting for their sentence to end so I can start talking again. They need me to listen – to actually give a rip!
Listening takes time and when you are willing to give your time, people know you care. [Tweet That!]
Ask yourself: Does my team know that I am listening?
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