You know, if it weren’t so sad, this leadership story would be funny in a sick kind of way.
I’ve been wrangling with the local post office for two months over a book I’d purchased that never made it to my mailbox. I have no doubt the book was delivered somewhere; it just wasn’t delivered to me.
In my first chat with the local pooh bah, Mrs. W. promised to immediately check into the matter and call me the following day. Of course, she didn’t call. When I called her a week later, she was shocked to learn that no one in her department had contacted me with an answer. She’s been similarly shocked three more times.
Throwing dead cats
In a past life, we called what Mrs. W. did “throwing the dead cat over the wall.” (I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt, taking her word that she did pass along the assignment, and offering apologies to cat lovers everywhere.)
Our company had recently gone through an acquisition, and our new regional leader was from the acquiring organization. He issued work directives and new projects with numbing regularity.
The trick became figuring out which demand was the dead cat (the one he would never ask about again) or the live one (where he would call you 39 minutes after making the assignment to see if it was completed). Having a boss who passed along assignments and never, ever followed up on them was a new experience. One that was unpleasant, confusing, deadly to credibility (his and the new organization) and incredible fodder for gamesmanship.
Leadership expectations and communications
The quality of his instructions wasn’t in question. (If you’re looking for some helpful tips on how to give effective directives, Wally Bock offers some insights here.)
What was lacking was thoughtful analysis regarding the need for the work in the first place and follow-up…not the hovering helicopter style but rather the meaningful close-the-loop informal check-in where it’s confirmed that all is well or in which help is offered.
We were trying to make sense of a new organizational culture and were grabbing at any clues offered.
We wanted to give our new boss some leeway, recognizing we all get busy and sometimes forget to follow-up.
Yet as we got to know his style better, it become clear his behaviors weren’t rooted in forgetfulness or being too busy or even being over-whelmed. Unfortunately, “dead cats” became an underground metaphor for a boss whose leadership lacked clarity, communication and character.
And the bummer part is that he wasn’t self-aware enough to grasp his behaviors or open enough to accept our feedback that we weren’t sure which assignments took priority.
How we survived
What got us through this uncertain period was our connection to each other.
Since the boss wouldn’t provide clarity, we bounced our “cats” off one another, seeking insights that someone on the team might have about a new initiative, strategy, etc., that would indicate if the “cat” was one we needed to run with.
This was the plus side of our new experience…bonding, sharing and helping one another through the dark days of not knowing.
Have you ever been in a similar circumstance? How did you manage through it?
Image source: morgueFile
Jane,
really very recognizable. As a trainer leadership I really encounter this kind of behaviour a lot. My partner told me a same story about her CEO. She was the HR director of an American Company in Belgium and she was always in shock of the lack of follow-up. She partnered very well with the CEO, happily enough and could see to it that in many cases the follow-up went through of things that were discussed about in the committee of directors. She was the one that put things back on table. The other directors valued her for that, even though that sometimes that meant that they were on the hook. Even though that putting it on the table and following it up is a common behaviour for the personality style of my partner, she burned up after 4 years and went of to look for more professional horizons. After her leaving the company she got a lot of credit of all the directors, her team and of people all over the organisation.
This feedback of all those people is a very “hard” evidence that follow-up is not only necessary but it is very high valued by the people in an organisation!
Eric — sounds like your partner handled a really tough situation with lots of grace and intelligence. Thanks for sharing a thoughtful story that illustrates that follow-up and emotional intelligence create positive outcomes for all.
Jane, great post about the frustrations of working in an unclear environment. Unclear leadership is very frustrating. I know because I’ve frustrated many. Clarity is something I’m always learning.
But you also make a great point about the way communities build. Common interests (chosen or forced) generally build relationships. It’s interesting to think about the underground communication system you created to deal with the fog.
Thanks again for the great post. Mike…
Mike – communicating effectively is both an art and a science, and you are so right about the frustration that results when communications more closely resemble mud than glass. Kudos to you for the great community you’ve build around character-based leadership and delighted to be a part of it!
Jane, I worked for a leader who had a “new agenda” every Monday morning… Many times the Monday morning new focus, goal or imperative directly conflicted with a previous Monday’s directive. Upon asking for clarity, frequently all one received was cloudy, non-specific thoughts. All in all, a very frustrating situation.
In this situation, with no others in the department, one was left to puzzle it out alone. In this case, I found that outsiders in similar positions were helpful in sussing out how to weave these conflicting directives. However, in doing so, I had to be sure that these colleagues were not of the “kiss and tell” variety.
Dang, Cheryl, talk about a no-win scenario…you could write the book! Great, though, that you were able to connect with a circle of supportive colleagues who got it and could offer guidance. Not being alone can make all the difference in the world. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for providing great thought provoking content to help us all.