Avoiding Mistakes
Leaders in the organization with which I am familiar do not effectively avoid making mistakes. Rather, they always seem to be bumbling into problems without realizing what they are doing. As DiPrimio (2010) states, leaders who abuse their power by using force without relating to their employees cause more harm than good. They are perceived by their followers as uncaring tyrants. In the organization where I work, this is the case as well.
To avoid making mistakes, leaders have to understand their role, what is required of them, and who their followers are. If they cannot relate to their followers, they will alienate themselves from the workplace and create silos among the workers. It cannot be a case of one culture for the leader and one culture for the followers. They should both share the same culture. Yet, with leaders who let their power go to their heads there is a culture of arrogance that negatively impacts the workers. The workers recoil from this and develop a culture of antagonism. Morale and performance...
Leaders have to do more to connect to their followers and create bond that is both pro-social and professionally respectful. Followers like to be included in the leader’s sphere, if not to make decisions then at least to share in the sense of having a mission and vision.
Leaders should avoid making mistakes by demonstrating a leadership style that fits the situation. Leaders should generally try to be authentic, transparent, honest, and open. If they cannot even do this they are not doing the bare minimum...…at the top were clearer about their mission and vision and were involved in monitoring performance and trying to motivate staff (Katz, 1955). But there is just no evident desire on their part, and it is as though they themselves are not motivated to care about their own organization.
Motivation has to start with the leaders themselves, since they set the tone. If they are only interested in the organization as a way to enrich themselves there is no need for anyone to care. That is the biggest mistake of all: the organization is there to serve stakeholders—not just shareholders. Leaders at the top too often act as though their shares are all that matter and the performance of the company is not of any consequence since the Board always votes for share buybacks.
References…
