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AVOIDING THE TRAPS
Derailing: losing whatever you had
Core Team
POWERFUL QUESTIONS
The metaphor of a train coming off track is often used to describe how some executives or directors sometimes first reach a "plateau" in their leadership role and then completely "derail" because some fatal flaws... As with train derailment, such accidents are almost never intentional! They rather come as a surprise to the executive - especially if and when the person was considered "high potential" - and they do cause extensive damage, both to the individual and to the organisation...
Leaders who "derail" have three major characteristics in common: they have difficulty in changing or adapting to new contexts or situations and are often perceived as "rigid" by others; they have problems with interpersonal relations and - often being perceived as abrasive, arrogant, cold, distant, insensitive or intimidating - as a result, wound other; and they fail to build and lead teams - as they ver-manage, find it difficult to staff effectively, fail to delegate or to appropriately acknowledge individual unique contributions, personal motivators and values.
You are invited to reflect on the following derailment factors
- How flexible or rigid are you?
- How able are you to adapt to differences?
- Could arrogance be a cause of your isolation?
- How do you manage your emotions and impulses?
- Could excessive ambition blind you?
- Could you be over-managing?
- Could you be a team averse?
... and, if needed, to seek feedback on specifics as a result!
How rigid are you?
Xun Zi: "The rigid cause themselves to be broken"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- Have you ever been managed by a highly rigid - autocratic, coercive and directive - person? How did you feel?? What did you do as a result?
- Could you be managing others the way you have been managed? Could you be exerting revenge about the way you have been treated, on others?
- Have others told you that "see things in black and white"?
- Do you often use such "you should do ...", "you should be...", "you must..."? Could you consider stopping using them?
- How do you take criticism or negative feedback? Do you shut down? Become defensive? Deny it? Or do you always take it as a chance to learn?
- When do you take criticism or negative feedback? Do you shut down? Become defensive? Deny it? Or do you always take a chance to learn?
- When and how do you blame others? Can you blame others for your own mistakes? When and how do you admit personal flaws or mistakes?
- Do others tell you that you are accessible and approachable?
- Do you learn a lot from personal growth books, articles or leadership development workshops? If not, what prevents you from learning?
- How could you become less defensive, more open to personal learning?
How well do you adapt to differences?
W. Churchill: "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- How open are you to change your mind? To welcoming new subjects and approaches?
- What makes you want not to change your mind?
- How ready and willing are you to adapt to new new and different managers, colleagues, strategies, plans, cultures, ways of working, ways of living?
- How well do you work with people who disagree with you? Do you have 'trusted opponents'?
- How easy or difficult for you is it to handle conflicting views?
- How broad are your interests? How international or global are you in your interests?
- How open are you to new and different approaches and ways of doing things?
- How well do you relate to people with different beliefs, from other cultures and other parts of the world?
Could arrogance be a cause of your isolation?
J. Ruskin: "I believe the first test of a truly great man is humility"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- Do you show humility? How? When?
- What makes you think humility is a sign of weakness?
- How often do you think you have the right and only answer? What could be possible reasons for that?
- What makes you appreciate your own ideas? Your upbringing? Your diplomas? Your belief in how clever you are?
- How often are you cold, distant, aloof with others? If you do, is it because you are not comfortable with people? Or because you prefer technical matters to people?
- How do you rate your interpersonal competence skills? How do others rate them? Are you sure?
- "It's lonely at the top", they say... Is your ultimate objective to finish alone?
How do you manage your emotions and impulses?
M. Gandhi: "Force, violence, pressure, or compulsion with a view to conformity are both uncivilized and undemocratic."
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- How often do you get emotional, impatient or angry when things do not go as planned?
- When and how do you display cynicism, hostility or sarcasm with others when stress increases?
- Do you withdraw from others when stress increases?
- Do you tend to become defensive in situations of stress?
- In your search for perfection, do you make your own life - and the life of others - difficult to live as a result?
- Do you tend to mix very strong control over people and things with very weak impulse and emotional control?
- Are you sure you overwhelmed, trying to do too much by yourself without asking support from others?
- Has the time come for you to learn to be calm and cool under pressure?
Could excessive ambition blind you?
P. Drucker: "So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
Could you be over-managing?
H.D. Thoreau: "Lo! Men have become the tools of their tools!"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
- Have you...?
Could you be team averse?
F. Dostoïevski : "Each of us is responsible for everything to everyone else"
We invite you to reflect on the following questions:
- How, when and why did you get promoted to a management position? Were you successful as a contributor and in your area of professional expertise?
- How and when do you work alone? How could you accomplish more by working with others more?
- Do you prefer one-on-one exchanges to meetings and workshops?
- Could you be telling yourself that you are not 'a people person'?
- Would you like to build a team but you don't know how to?
- Are the vision and objectives that are clear in your mind clear for everyone around you?
- When there are problems in the team, do you find it difficult to resolve them? Do you find it difficult to deal with conflict?
- Do you acknowledge members of your team? Do you share credit for accomplishments? Do you celebrate small wins and successes?
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