By Sondra Calhoun
“We need to be more focused.”
“I need my leaders to be stronger in performance management.”
“We’ve lost our passion and commitment to the mission.”
“My leaders are waiting for me to tell them what to do or to fix the problems.”
These are a few of the phrases we hear quite often in our coaching conversations with CEO’s and Executive Directors. As we work through the barriers that are getting in the way of their organization performing at its highest level, specific competencies and behaviors emerge as lacking. It’s not that their team is not putting in the hours or working very hard. The problem is that they are focusing on the wrong behaviors and sending the wrong messages to those they lead.
When I hear them say that they need the organization to be more performance minded and their leaders to be quicker to have the tough conversations with those who are not performing, my first question to them is, “How are you living out this value? When is the last difficult conversation you had with one of your direct reports?” My intent is not to put them on the spot or throw it back in their face, but rather to draw their attention to the fact that their leaders will follow their lead. If their team is not stepping up and solving problems proactively, it might be because the CEO is continually stepping in and solving it for them.
As a leader of leaders, your first steps to aligning your organization and leaders with the values that will drive its success forward are to:
1. Clearly identify the 3 most critical competencies and values that are missing and holding the company back.
2. Evaluate your own behavior and messages that you send. Are you contributing to these values not being lived out?
3. Transparently communicate your role in the lack of whatever is missing to your team and work together to identify what needs to change.
4. Thread these critical values into everything you do and say… your hiring process, all communications, 1:1 coaching sessions, feedback opportunities, etc.
5. Expect and encourage candid and caring feedback on how you are doing in these areas from those you lead.