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Leadership
Added by Craig Steel
Beware the cardboard cutouts

Executives are becoming increasingly concerned by the lack of substance observed in leaders in senior roles.

Close up of woman, chin on her hands looking thoughtfully to the right

In recent months I have had conversations with a number of executives who are becoming increasingly concerned by the lack of substance they are observing in leaders being appointed to senior roles within their own organisations and/or other companies around the country.

One of the reasons this unenviable situation has occurred is because recruitment companies have caused us to elevate academic ‘qualifications’ over capability and intellect (in order to mitigate risks to themselves as opposed to it being a deliberate exercise to deceive) meaning incompetent but nevertheless, qualified people are being promoted into managerial roles ahead of those who have the capacity to lead. While this is a worrying trend, I am of the view companies need to strengthen the capability of their leaders so they develop the confidence to take greater ownership of both the recruitment and development process themselves rather than rely on external contractors to do it all for them.

Because so many of our newly promoted leaders lack the wisdom and confidence to excel, they often skim over important issues or capitulate when held to account. Needless to say, promoting people prematurely is extremely unhelpful – to both the individual concerned and the company as a whole. The individual loses because they are expected to resolve issues they are ill-equipped to cope with (meaning a promising future leader could be turned off for life) and the company loses because its people lose faith in their current leaders and, as a consequence, lose confidence and interest in the organisation.

To mitigate this risk, I recommend you invest the amount of time and effort necessary to secure the right person for the role because whether we like it or not, the appointment of a new leader will either be an enabler of future growth or an inhibiter. For example, if we were to consider the appointment of a new player into say the All Blacks, we would instinctively know how important it is to not only ‘select’ the right person but to provide them with the right ‘guidance and/or advice’ to enable them to excel in their new position. If they don’t succeed, the entire team is compromised, whereas if they do succeed, it is highly likely the team (or organisation) will.

My use of the heading ‘Beware the cardboard cutouts’ is intended to heighten the importance of getting this process right – or more specifically, encourage you to consider an appointment deeply enough to ensure you are not taken in by sophisticated commercial speak, but are prepared to test the waters to assess a persons ability to honour such an important role. In other words, looking good and being able to say the right things may be comforting to a recruitment agency wanting to impress, but unless the candidate has the substance to improve the performance capability and culture of your organization, they will eventually become the problem.

 

 

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