LEADERSHIP: ARE THEY RIOTING IN THE STREETS?

Published: 2009-06-22   please add a comment below

Social networking sites and TV screens have been alight and aTwitter in recent times with voters rampaging through Teheran, Shiraz and Isfahan.  These historic cities have been host to massive leadership disaffection and revolt against an apparently rigged appointment.  Such disturbances have few parallels in business life.  But, many appointments cause concern; and, often leaders lack full support.  If we polled your team, how would you rate?  What are early warning signs you should watch for?

Twenty years ago, as a school chairman, I fronted a near riotous parents' meeting.  They were furious that the council had fired the headmaster.  Sadly, for us, we'd done such a good job supporting the head for the past year, we'd overcome the parents' previous angry complaints.  But belatedly, we realised his situation was unsustainable - and had to act.  The other occasion was as a CEO, when I introduced a flawed reorganisation - and found myself with a staff revolt on my hands.  You learn a lot from such experiences.  So here, in escalating order, are some of the things I failed to notice.

• Non-engagement: do your people appear uninterested in what you're putting forward; or, are you overriding their comments or concerns?  Are people keeping to themselves?
• Passive resistance: is your team not getting on with implementing an agreed program; are there lots of excuses for slippages and breakdowns?
• Departures: are people leaving or looking around for roles elsewhere?
• Factions: are groups forming or splits emerging - between those who think you're on the right track and those who don't?
• Separate agendas: are individuals or sub-groups working towards different goals and along different paths?
• Alternative leaders: are one or more individuals becoming the focus for the group's dissent and the people they turn to for advice and guidance - rather than you?
• Warnings: has your boss, your chairman, a peer or a courageous team member expressed their concern to you about the way things are going?

In removing the headmaster, the board and I had no alternative but to soldier on.  The decision was right for the pupils and the school - and the sanity of the councillor supporting him.  In time, the parents (and the head) agreed it had been the right decision.  In the re-organisation case, admitting my error was equally the only route.  I was wrong.  And, once I admitted this, passive resistance and disruption fell away.  Everyone was happy to help me move things ahead: keeping what was good and junking the rest.

Today, knowing more about leadership, I'd have seen the signs earlier and, more importantly, recognised that without people following me, I had no chance.  I wasn't a good leader.  With the parents, I should have communicated better; and, with the staff, listened more closely.  For any leader, being alert and responsive are the only effective riot shields.

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®