According to research done by
the Ken Blanchard company, their workplace surveys reveal that 75% of employees
identify their supervisor as the leading source of stress in their work
environment. So much so that when given the choice between a better boss or a
significant raise in pay, 65% responded they would prefer a better boss! When I
read such statistics, it has me thinking out loud that what in the world is
going on! We have access to more leadership books, speakers, seminars, videos,
and formal academic curriculums than ever before and we are still suffering from poor leadership in
the workplace and other arenas.
I believe that a major source
of stress is caused by supervisors (I am not going to call them leaders!) who
intentionally or inadvertently create unhealthy competition within work
environments. These individuals are under the mistaken assumption that if they
create gladiatorial combat within the cubicle arena by pitting
individuals or groups against each other, then productivity will increase. Such
an absurd practice was lampooned a few years ago by a major company that produced
TV commercials of rival groups of employees in their power suits squaring off
with each other in a jungle setting using office furniture and equipment as
props. Whereas the commercials were meant to be humorous, they did not always
stray far from the truth of some environments.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am
not anti-competition. Whereas I am usually a calm, cool, and collective cat, I
turn almost rabid during college football season. Go Georgia Bulldogs by the
way! If you are a “challenger brand” then you certainly want to be in a place
where you are competitive to a legacy organization. And there is always a place
for friendly competition. The competition I am talking about, however, is when
it is intentionally created or allowed to happen WITHIN an organization where
promotions, resources, recognitions, etc. are allocated not on merit, teamwork,
or the best ideas, but who can make their
numbers the fastest regardless of the human cost for doing so.
Not only does such an
antiquated approach have a human cost, I believe it also has negative impacts
on productivity, market share, and eventual profitability because the boss is
getting counterfeit results versus real quality effort! These are just a
few ideas but here is what unhealthy competition gets you:
Work
based upon Appearances and Visuals versus Effectiveness –
this is the kind of work that may appear flashy but is it really quality work?
Just because it is packaged nicely it does not mean the product or service is
any better, effective, etc.
Information
that is more based on what people think you WANT to hear versus NEED to hear – in the
unhealthy environment that toxic leaders create, direct reports are so
concerned about protecting turf, jobs, and resources that they will readily
agree with senior leaders even if they know
it is a bad idea. If you are the kind of leader that only wants to hear what
you want to hear, then eventually what you hear has no value.
Time
WASTED on protecting Turf versus time WELL SPENT on Innovation and/or Client Enhancement –
speaking of turf, you will never get best efforts if team members are more worried
about their employment and resources. In fact, I bet you can see a reverse
correlation between innovation and customer satisfaction with time and energy
spent on survival strategies and maneuvering.
Activity
as Opposed to Results – we have all seen the phenomena of how busy
everyone seems to get when a senior leader who promotes unhealthy competition walks
in the room. The casual and relaxed atmosphere quickly turns quiet and strained
where all you hear is the clacking of keyboard keys! In unhealthy cultures, it
is more important to appear busy than achieving important results or breakthroughs.
Compliance
versus Creativity – in Liz Wiseman’s and Greg McKeown’s great
book, Multipliers, the authors stress
that unsafe environments only produce
safe ideas. I guarantee you that an organization based upon incremental
goals will ALWAYS be eclipsed by the organization that takes risks. This is the
defining characteristic of a disruptor. They know to gain a foothold in the crowded
marketplace, they have to take risks and that “playing it safe” is a
non-starter. In workplaces where there is too much competition within the system,
however, teams and units will be hesitant to put themselves “out there” too
much in the fear they will get cut off so they stick to just the safe ideas
that are just variations of what worked well in the past.
Clearly, there has to be a
better way and there is. Next Level Leaders know that unhealthy competition
produces the negative outcomes shared above and in my next blog, I will present
some strategies directed at changing such an environment whether you created it
or inherited it. I have read many a story of how a new CEO or leader walked in
such a situation created or allowed by predecessor and changed things around
with consistently powerful and positive results on people, processes, and
profits.
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching
experiences I offer can provide an impact.
If you want to know more about
finding your leadership platform, I would direct you to Leading Out Loud: Strategies for
Raising Your Leadership Voice! available on Amazon.com. I would also be
happy to share the full NEXT LEVEL LEADERS training resources with you or your
organization or personally coach you through the process. Please feel free to
contact me for a no obligation inquiry.
Vita Integro,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
