Leading by Avoidance

Have you ever worked for a leader who just avoided you? Has this same leader then used the at-will clause or position elimination to finally have a conversation with you? I can honestly say that I have not...however, I have worked with these people as my peers. I have watched as they blamed their inefficiency on the many people they let go..the interesting thing is that these same people were still inefficient after the others were gone...but the blame game got them moved to another area or role so that they can start the process all over.

This style is called leadership through avoidance. While some say this is just how they are, think about the humanity behind it. Avoid your partner and employees and maybe they will just go away...That really isn't leadership...it is self-preservation...

A unique idea here would be that if you do not work well with others or have difficulty even having a conversation, let alone have a difficult conversation, you should either work on improving your skills or stop being a leader. There really are individual contribitor roles that meet your needs...please look for them...

This became more of a rant than a direction and insight, but right-fit roles are important in keeping everyone sane and your business thriving...

Good luck and lead well..

Lead Away Before Being Lead Away

Walking the thin line of leadership sometimes involves stepping over the line. Or, perhaps even erasing the line all together and re-drawing it yourself. If you are in a position of leadership, take the responsibility to reconsider your line. If you do not, who will...? Remember, you are the leader...you set the example. Draw an ethical line. Or, another path will be decided for you.

Hiring Leaders not Managers

It is difficult to tell from an interview whether you are hiring a manager or a leader. Don't fool yourself in thinking that these two are one in the same. Managers arrange and rearrange things...whereas leaders provide guidance and inspiration to their teams.

For some roles, you need to hire the best manager. An example of this may be in a warehouse. If someone is not good at organizing things and has the ability to keep things functional, your warehouse would be a mess. You would constantly be looking for products and resources only to find that they were not ordered in the first place. Listen for examples on how the individual handles multiple tasks and completes jobs that impacted the bottom-line.

For other roles that require an extensive amount of people interaction, you should hire the best leader. You need a person who stayed or left an organization because of the people. If someone is good at communication and inspiration, they can help people do more than they think they can do themselves. Listen for examples on what role this individual played during a time of change. If they sat back and let it happen or just went along with it, this is not the leader you were looking for...If they took an active part in helping the organization or the people translate the change into how it connects for them, you have found your leader...

This is just one set of tips in identifying differences between managers and leaders. Decide which one you need before you start your interview process. If you need both, stay tuned for future hints and goals...

People improve performance…

Training allows an organization to share knowledge. It doesn’t impact performance directly. Rather, it allows people in the organization to grow and use their understanding to increase their application. This application should be based on the strategy and direction of the organization.

This is where leaders can make the most impact on an organization, initiate change on the thought process of a company. The traditional “business” thought is that people attend training where satisfaction and knowledge is measured initially. Application is measured 60-90 days afterwards. ROI can be shown beyond that point. There is usually something missing in between satisfaction and knowledge measurements and application calculations…the missing item is reinforcement.

Usage is not enough to reinforce the material. The leadership of an organization needs to remind everyone of the goals within their projects. This is a change in thought process. In fact, this transforms training into learning. Training is usually an event or series of events with a finite timeline. Learning, however, is continuous.


Planning for a tomorrow that never arrives makes today much busier, but we learn more through each experience…

Leading people encourages peak performance…

If you are a senior leader, you lead the organization and offer assistance to others on how to lead their teams. If you involve yourself in the management of things too oftern, results will be negative. Someone has to keep the focus on a higher strategy. Someone has to ground the organization on what success looks like.

By offering assistance to your organization at various points, and demonstrating how to lead, especially in times of change, you commit to the success of the project and your organization. You also demonstrate that you want continuous ROI, not just one big enough to build your own career.

Driving for results is good if you have a purpose. Negative reinforcement of training by penalizing those that “fail” assessments instead of understanding where gaps lie, will negatively impact results, especially short-term results. Offer opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and application. Offer positive reinforcement through recognition for high levels of application. By leading through change, you can manage your return more thoroughly.

Listening to and trusting employees express understanding and appreciation…

How many times have you heard, “they” don’t know what we do…or, “they” couldn’t do our job…or even, “they” need to do our job, then “they’ll” understand. Guess who the “they” is…If you said, you, the executive, you are correct. It is any decision-maker, but executives get the most of this responsibility.

Many executives have either been there, done that, or feel it is not their place to do the work of their staff. That attitude, like it or not, is negative and will negatively impact the organization. The results can be positive though. Listen to your employees and trust that they know their job. In fact, they possess more knowledge about their roles than you. Communicate your thoughts about the direction of the company, but listen to the experts. Remember, increasing knowledge enhances application. This leads to a more positive return on your investment.

As an executive, you should stay focused on the vision. The more you become involved in the day-to-day activities of your organization, the further from your vision will your organization move. The reason for this is quite simple. If you engage in the daily operations, there is no one to remind the teams why they are working so hard…why the content of the training is important…and why it is significant to transition knowledge into application.


Remembering is only painful if we choose to forget first…