Question at a conference…
A year or so ago I was presenting at a conference in Florida. At the conclusion of my session a gentleman in the back of the room approached the microphone and asked a very simple question.
He asked, “In your experiences with coaching and developing organizational leaders have you observed a set of common behaviors that have a destructive impact on leadership?”
Speaking in front of large crowds and having intense leadership related discussions have taught me to think on my feet. However, this question hit me like a ton of bricks. I answered the question the best I could with a firm and somewhat obvious answer of “Yes!”
Traits of leaders…
Understand this, I have studied the traits of effective leaders for years and could provide you, on a moments notice, a list of traits and behaviors that we all would agree are needed in order to be an effective leader. Traits such as being kind, caring, responsible, accountable, and respectful are some of that come to mind. However, to clearly identify behaviors that lead to failure… now that was a different question. And if I could narrow them down, what would they be? And to simply flip the positive traits or behaviors to negative tense behaviors seems obvious but does not necessarily answer the question that was presented.
As I have reflected on this question during the last few months, I have found myself asking “what have I have actually seen that reduces effective leaders from an authority-based leadership approach to one that is based on power and control?” Beyond that, “what have I actually seen that not only reduces effectiveness but demolishes it altogether?”
I feel certain that the answers will not surprise you. I strongly believe there are definitive, observable, and impacting behaviors that kill effective leadership. I know that each and every leader has particular, and in some cases peculiar, behaviors that may inhibit effectiveness at times. However, I am not talking about inhibitors; I am talking about leadership killers. These are behaviors that rapidly reduce a leader’s effectiveness to virtually zero. And, it takes only one.
So what are they…?
After reflecting carefully over my personal experiences during the last decade, reviewing hundreds of pages of notes from sessions I have conducted, gathering data from reports, analyzing years of performance feedback, and simply watching leaders that I have worked for, coached or trained, I have composed a list of four outright leadership killers.
My next few articles will address each of them separately. But first I want to say that since we are all human, it is my belief that every leader wrestles with each one of them to some degree. I realize you may not agree with my belief, but none the less I believe it to be true. I have reached that conclusion based on the common threads I see in my experiences with leadership and organizational development.
The Flipside…
Now consider this, on the flipside of each leadership killer is a cornerstone. A cornerstone is a foundational principle of leadership. These “cornerstones” are what create not only effective leaders, but exceptional leaders. Keep in mind that many people hold leadership positions and do not have all the cornerstones firmly in place. Hence, there are discrepancies amongst marginal, good, great, and exceptional leaders. In my estimation, the exceptional leader is the one who has cornerstones serving as foundational points to their philosophy. I assure you, if one of the cornerstones is compromised, both effectiveness and exceptionality are negatively impacted. However, unlike the leadership killer, it may not decimate the leader or the organization; it simply may reduce effectiveness and slow growth toward exceptionality. So with each killer I will also discuss a corresponding cornerstone. I do believe that if the killer is present, the cornerstone will disappear and will do so with great expediency.
Killers and Cornerstones…
In this article I simply intend to identity the killers and cornerstones. I am not going to elaborate on them as that will occur in my next few articles. However, I am going to challenge you, especially those of you who know me and my work, to answer a few questions at the end of this article about both the killers and cornerstones. View this as your own personal 360 degree survey.
Drum Roll …
Again, I do not think these will surprise you. They are very simple. I encourage you, especially if you are an organizational leader, to really reflect on these.
| Leadership Killers | Leadership Cornerstones |
| Dishonesty | Trust |
| Hypocrisy | Authority |
| Unreliability | Dependability |
| Disreputability | Respect |
Look at it this way…
- Unreliability kills dependability
- Dishonesty kills trust
- Disreputability kills respect
- Hypocrisy kills authority
So then, a leader that is dependable, trustworthy, respectable can lead with authority. And a leader who has lost respect, trust, and dependability cannot lead with authority but must instead lead by power.
The Capstone…
In essence, there is a capstone, one prevailing principle that binds all this together. That capstone is integrity. It is integrity that creates the exceptional leader. In his book - “Integrity” - Dr. Henry Cloud ties the ideals and principles of personal integrity to what is needed in an exceptional leader.
Simply put - limited, lost or no integrity = no exceptionality.
As I close this article I am going to challenge you to consider a few thoughts about both the killers and cornerstones. Reflect on each of the statement below. Notice, there is yes or no. I have presented it in this manner because there is no place in exceptionality for words like “sometimes” or “often” or “not sure.
| I am reliable. | Yes – No |
| I am honest. | Yes – No |
| I am reputable. | Yes – No |
| I am sincere. | Yes – No |
| I am dependable. | Yes – No |
| I am trustworthy. | Yes – No |
| I give and take respect. | Yes – No |
| I lead with authority. | Yes – No |
| I keep my word, my promises and my commitments. | Yes - No |
Now that you have considered these about yourself… ask these questions about each statement above:
- What would people I work with say?
- What would people I lead say?
- What would my friends say?
- What would my family say?
- What would people I do business with say?
As I close, consider journaling your thoughts down as journaling is a terrific tool toward improvement.
As always, if you or your organization needs help with these ideals or principles, operators are standing by…
If you have never been on a ropes course, then you will not understand the trust fall. Last week I published a picture and asked you to study it carefully. I now want to show you a few more pictures from that event. 
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