Send to KindleThere’s a saying that one can learn more from bad leaders than good leaders. While I don’t think that’s always true, it might help you feel better if you you’re under a bad leader’s thumb. There are many lessons to be learned from both bad and good leaders, and those lessons may not be what we think.
One of the most common ways new leaders learn is to observe those who lead them. We can see how they handled certain situations and problems, how they motivate people, how they deal with stress, and the multitude of little techniques available for the careful observer. (A side note for those currently in leadership positions is that people are observing you…all the time. Most likely, much less than you think gets by your subordinates and they are keeping score.) But, back to the main point; using what a new leader has observed through the years.
Here’s a simple exercise I suggest for new leaders. Using a clean sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle. On the left side of the paper list all the techniques or behaviors you’ve observed from leaders you thought were good. Go back in your work history as far as you can remember. When you’ve exhausted your memory, start again on the right side of the paper. This time list all the things leaders have done that you thought were bad. When you’ve finished you’ll probably have a good list on both sides.
The obvious next step is to do your best to copy all the entries on the left side and never do those listed on the right side. But, is it that easy? In many cases yes, it is. The problem is, you most likely don’t know everything about the situation that led to the comment you wrote on the paper. I’ve been doing this for a number of years and have found that when faced with a similar situation that led to the comment about a previous leader, I have a new understanding of what that leader had to consider and of which I was previously unaware. When I review my list I realize that some of what I thought were bad leadership decisions were probably the best that leader could do in the particular situation. With the benefit of better understanding, I began to realize some of the decisions made in the past were not so bad after all.
Many leaders are hesitant to tell subordinates why they made certain decisions, and sometimes this is justified. But, there are probably more cases when explaining yourself will pay dividends in the long run.
Of course this same analysis can reveal that decisions which seemed truly inspired at the time were really examples of a poor leader making an easy or non-controversial decision rather than biting the bullet to do what really needed to be done.
Keep this sheet of paper and refer to it from time to time. Add to it and even include your own actions. It can be a great learning tool. Remember something else though. Somewhere there may be someone keeping such a list of your actions.
