Why an executive leadership crisis creates a problem for all

Examples of poor executive leadership tarnish leaders at every level. How can you ensure that best-practice leadership is something worth fighting for?

“Power reveals,” said Robert Caro, the great American biographer responsible for the seminal works on Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses over the last 50 years. “It doesn’t always reveal you for the better, but it reveals.”

Perhaps we can we agree that the word “power” could be swapped for “leadership” just as easily?

Leadership most definitely reveals. It reveals a leader’s ability to put the interests of others ahead of themselves. To set the direction in which the team/company is going (and then step back to allow ownership of an individual’s tasks). To listen, to empathise, to inspire, to take tough decisions, and much more besides.

Every time a high profile story emerges where executive leadership falls short, I believe it shines a spotlight on the discipline as a whole - for good and bad. Barely a few days seem to pass by without another example of what happens when a confluence of events bring to light poor executive leadership. Some examples cause limited damage; others cause pain to a group of people entirely undeserving of it.

I argue that each example creates a crisis for the idea that best-practice, compassionate leadership is something worthwhile. Business lobby groups should be concerned too: examples like the Post Office scandal in the UK cast ridicule on what senior leadership exists to do. I read a quote from a sub-postmaster where he said he could have done a better job as CEO than the one who was in charge: not unreasonable, given the circumstances. For those who aspire to lead an organisation, these examples are deeply damaging. As a former marketer, let me put it this way: if great leadership were a brand, it could do with a makeover.

Below are the themes I’ve uncovered that are typically present when poor leadership is exposed.

Systemic, structural issues

The first thing that catches my eye when I read about serious leadership failings is that it’s never just about one leader; it’s the system that fails. The leader sets the tone, sure, but in an institution with strong foundations there are others who could act for the greater good. When those checks and balances are systematically ignored, the problems occur. Unsurprisingly, a system that creates the conditions for high quality leadership to be engrained across the entire organisation is likely to be one that builds a more positive culture.

A culture of cowardice

When the system fails, many individuals along the line contribute to its failure. It starts at the top; the leader sets the culture. What do you think the typical employee thinks and sees about where they work, if not the way that the leaders behave? I always say the one thing you can guarantee from an employee is for them to act in the way they see the leader act. They’ll think, “What chance do I have of promotion if I go against the grain?” This approach creates a culture of cowardice, and it’s the executive leadership that has enabled it.

The personal cost at stake

A depressingly familiar theme to emerge from executive leadership failure is that each person who might have acted differently assesses that if they were to challenge the issue/others involved, they could put their whole career at risk. That “career” is stacked with short, medium and longer-term incentives to persuade them it’s not worth rocking the boat. Be it salary, bonus, shares, pension plan; even just a person’s general career trajectory. You can also include the fact that other senior leaders will have worked extremely hard over years (perhaps even a lifetime in that one company) to get to that position. Imagine all the things they could put at risk by pushing too hard? What would their peers think? In that scenario the person might think, “Where’s my next role coming from if not here, where I know the rules of the game?”

Now you know the themes, let's think about what can be done to mitigate.

Increasing leadership development support via coaching and mentoring

My professional interest aside, the ability for leaders to have impartial, external support is absolutely critical: nobody gets to the top of an organisation by themselves. Having a professional, accredited coach or mentor to work with is indispensable for many senior leaders.

However, it was the Post Office scandal in the UK that really got me thinking more deeply about this. As an accredited coach, I know that at the heart of any coaching relationship is confidentiality. According to the International Coaching Federation, the only scenarios that a coach might break confidentiality is if the coach reasonably believes there to be an imminent or likely risk of danger or harm to the client, or the client discloses something that involves illegal activity.

Allow me to hypothesise for a moment: What if something relating to the situation at the Post Office had surfaced between coach and coachee during a session? The coach would have been duty-bound to take this further. Initially, this could have been to their coaching supervisor; an experienced coach who could have provided further guidance. This might have led to the coach contacting the police, and given what we know, changed the course of events (however unlikely this may seem now).

Moving forward 

Ultimately, there must be a renewed focus across business that best-practice leadership is a keystone in a successful company. Creating a culture of outstanding leadership doesn’t sit alone from the company’s mission and goals. Rather, when outstanding executive leadership is present it creates an environment for success of any objective the company is striving towards.

Executive leadership brings with it the power to affect the careers – and lives – of others. A combination of increased internal governance and utilising external support through coaching and mentoring can help to ensure the power that comes with seniority is handled responsibly.

Richard Lassiter is the CEO and founder of RL Performance, an executive coaching and leadership consultancy.