“I really thought he would work out. He’s a nice guy, but he just doesn’t seem to be the kind of leader we were looking for. Now what do I do?”
When selecting new leaders or promoting current leaders, most executives will give the decision careful consideration, using a combination of experience, intuition, and perhaps evaluation tools prescribed by the company. The problem is, we’re all human and what may have seemed like a good fit initially, will not necessarily work out in the long run. What’s a leader to do?
It’s important to honestly evaluate why this promising prospect turned out to be a disappointment. That analysis will help you determine what to do next. Carefully consider why the new leader has not measured up. Did she completely understand what was expected of her? Have you taken the time to develop him as a leader and help him grow into the new position?
This analysis will help you make an intelligent decision to remove the person or help them fix the problem. Some leadership experts advise firing early. If you’ve determined that the problem is the person themselves, and they just aren’t going to make it in the new position, then removing them quickly is probably the best idea. It’s critical to admit that you just didn’t get this one right.
But, consider this.
You selected them for the position. Their leadership development is your responsibility. You made the decision based on your belief they would be successful, but did you provide the training to help them succeed? If you made a mistake, okay. But it most likely was your mistake and you must fix the problem.
As an example, a company hired someone to be a leader. This person had no experience in the particular industry, but the executive who hired him felt he would adapt to the situation and be a good leader. The company trains new leaders (more of an overview really) in the technical aspects of the company, but they don’t really develop them as leaders. This leader has been in the job now for about 6 months and is not doing well. In fact, the company has sent in more experienced leaders to keep his part of the operation from collapsing. The fate of the new leader? It’s an on-going situation but, at this point it doesn’t look good. The problem is, while the intervention from the company seems to be getting the operation back on its feet, real leadership development that would prevent further problems just isn’t happening. So, if left in his current position, he will most likely fail again. This is a situation that’s fairly easily resolved, but I don’t think it will be, simply because the executive in this case has failed to fulfill his real responsibility to the struggling leader. Unfortunately, I predict this particular leader will be gone within the next 6 months and the word around the C-suite will be, “He just wasn’t the sort of leadership material we need.”
The executive will have wasted a promising person, and everyone’s time. How unfortunate.
Bob Mason is dedicated to leadership development. He works with companies to solve problems by helping supervisors and managers become more effective leaders leading more productive teams. He is a professional speaker and author of Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership; The Art of Not Motivating: How Leaders Can Succeed by Understanding the True Nature of Motivation; Balancing the Generations: A Leader’s Guide to the Complex, Multi-Generational, 21st Century Workplace; and Planning to Excel: Strategic Planning That Works.
A 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force exposed him to great leaders and leadership opportunities such as command of four squadrons, including the Air Force’s largest munitions squadron. He has studied leadership extensively, but more importantly has been there, working with real people, making hard decisions, and experiencing the results.
Contact Bob at Bob@BobMasonSpeaker.com or 505-453-5266
