Leaders’ league

A top leadership position is hard to come by for many. So how do you make the best use of this opportunity and be successful in the new role, while there are many organisational and structural factors that may play spoilsport. Research identifies the following factors that contribute to leadership failure or ineffectiveness, read through these pointers, to be better prepared for an upward career move.

Ineffective on boarding

On boarding a new leader is fraught with maximum risk as most of the times it is the most neglected part of the transition by both the sides. Some of the commonly observed hurdles that can adversely impact your career are:

• Feedback is provided “too little, too late”—New leaders often do not receive corrective feedback until derailing behaviours become entrenched in the new incumbents’ day-to-day work habits and processes.
• Lack of information on leader’s needs — The disconnect between those involved in the promotion/ selection process and those responsible for the on boarding process results in lack of information about a new leader’s potential weaknesses or areas in need of attention or support.
• Misplaced ownership for on boarding — Leaders’ managers often assume senior-level promotions/movements do not need guidance to navigate and adapt to the new organisation, leaving responsibility for the on boarding process to the new incumbent.

Minimal support during transitions

The critical period for leaders starts when they are making the initial transition from an individual contributor role to a management role. At this juncture, you must shift your focus from job-specific and technical skills to people management and leadership skills. Inability to adapt creates a risk of performance derailment and disengagement for those who may not possess inherent people management skills. Many executives who derail do so because they are unable or unwilling to adapt. The most common learning challenges for leaders include the following:

• Communicating clear and simple messages that have emotional impact
• Delegating and involving others
• Improving social skills, such as empathy, listening, and coaching
• Learning to sell good ideas, not just produce them
• Working through informal networks

Poorly selected cross-functional moves

Poorly selected cross-functional development moves may pose a great risk for leaders and the organisation. Based on the skills and requirements a leader may have very contrasting skills honed by the last role as opposed to the ones’ demanded by the new function. So be careful next time when you pick up a new role for the sake of upward movement only, without doing a thorough analysis of what you can contribute.

Hazy performance goals

Organisations frequently include goals in their performance management process; yet fail to provide solid guidance or structures around how to achieve set goals. This lack of support may lessen the likelihood of successful goal attainment. To minimise this risk, consider the following:

• Ensure clarity of goals and the existence of a “road map” for achievement
• Ensure your goals are clearly scripted and contain precise parameters for achievements and success
• Be involved in goal refinement, target setting, and the development of a goal-realisation strategy
• Get maximum visibility of goal inter-dependencies to ensure that goal achievement efforts leverage resources most efficiently

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