Leadership matters. Good leaders motivate, inspire and energize, enabling people and organizations to achieve objectives they never thought possible. Most organizations spend a lot of resources attempting to get the right senior leaders into the right roles at the right times, and the importance of this process has been heightened by the short supply of key executive talent.
Unfortunately, evidence continues to accrue indicating that at least some degree of failure in executive roles is commonplace, ranging from highly visible and public “flameouts” to relatively hidden situations in which the under-performing executive is quietly shuffled into another role within the firm.
What Can Go Wrong
People in “high-stakes” roles within organizations rarely fail primarily because of skill set deficiencies, lack of intellect or lack of performance. Typically, leaders who have ascended to the C-level have demonstrated a consistent track record of excellent performance throughout their academic and professional careers, and depending on the size of the organization, have been promoted multiple times into positions of increasing scope and responsibility. In my experience, executives most often under perform for one or a combination of the following reasons:
Over-promotion: These are individuals whose performance in prior roles ranged from merely acceptable to superb, are seen as loyal organizational citizens and good people, and are given new, bigger jobs because they are seen as “deserving” them.Often a factor that contributes to this mistake is decision-makers’ fear of being seen as not rewarding hard work, not respecting longevity and not promoting from within.
Cultural Misalignment: These are individuals who have the requisite experience, intellect and core skills to be successful in a high-stakes role, but under-perform due to a lack of fit between the individual and the culture and values of the organization. Often, these are senior leaders brought in from outside of the organization or who have been promoted quickly from function to function within the same organization.
Failure to Evolve:These are individuals who either cannot or will not adapt to shifting business conditions or priorities, over-relying on their old way of doing things when new approaches, perspectives and personal behaviors may be required. They often live in the past and fail to listen to and respond to feedback.
