Leaders, like everyone else, sometimes fail in a spectacular fashion. They misstep, step in it, or step aside when they shouldn’t to the detriment of personal and team success. The common failures of leaders comprise a long and timeless list: Failure to prepare. Failure to coach and teach. Failure to review. Failure to prioritize. Failure to measure. Failure to include.
Based on personal experience, the two main reasons I've seen Executives fail is because they lost the credibility and trust of their supporters, or they lack of general competence in the role. When the executive loses credibility/trust - the exit is swift. Lack of general competence usually takes a bit longer to surface and correct. I remember attending a workshop facilitated by Morgan McCall on Executive Derailment where he talked about the 'Slippery Slope'. Leaders and organizations steer away from their values to earn/make a short term gain. The next time a similar situation comes up, they do it again, but maybe steer a bit further. Pretty soon, they slide so far from the top they can't recover. I thought it was a nice metaphor and it stuck with me after all these years. Thanks for today's post.
We took 15 minutes to unpack this even further here: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1vOGwMMaPQdxB
Just caught the last 5 minutes. Thanks for the Twitter notification. I'll go back and listen this morning. So many good Field Notes recently!
Always happy to see your profile pic pop up, David.
Just a part of my AM routine - reading/writing + coffee
Based on personal experience, the two main reasons I've seen Executives fail is because they lost the credibility and trust of their supporters, or they lack of general competence in the role. When the executive loses credibility/trust - the exit is swift. Lack of general competence usually takes a bit longer to surface and correct. I remember attending a workshop facilitated by Morgan McCall on Executive Derailment where he talked about the 'Slippery Slope'. Leaders and organizations steer away from their values to earn/make a short term gain. The next time a similar situation comes up, they do it again, but maybe steer a bit further. Pretty soon, they slide so far from the top they can't recover. I thought it was a nice metaphor and it stuck with me after all these years. Thanks for today's post.
When you pull out your time horizon, it becomes clear...
It is easier to live by your values 100% of the time than it is to live by them 95% of the time.
Good stuff.