A question of leadership: What important leadership competencies do leaders typically overdo or underdo in times of transition?
✍ Scribed by Kerry A. Bunker; Michael Wakefield
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2006
- Weight
- 62 KB
- Volume
- 25
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1093-6092
- DOI
- 10.1002/lia.1126
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
when making difficult decisions. They worry that if they let their soft side show, it will be viewed as weakness or a lack of commitment to their decisions. My experience in working with leaders has shown the exact opposite to be true in times of significant change and crisis. People want to know that their leaders can be tough, committed, and decisive, but they also want them to be humanand humane.
Overdoing toughness while underdoing empathy creates fairly obvious and, unfortunately, common outcomes. The relentless drive for business results buries concerns for people, and the leader appears to be inhuman and uncaring. An environment of alienation and fear is created. Learning is stifled because people are afraid to take risks or make mistakes, and the voices of contrary data and opinion are silenced. People lose commitment and focus, so business results are often compromised as well.
On the flip side, minimizing toughness while overdoing empathy