I work with a variety of leaders and hear a common complaint with two themes:
1. I’m spending my time putting out fires.
2. Others are not doing what they need to be doing.
What these themes have in common is that the leader has the experience of not getting what he wants.
If you are a leader and you are still not getting what you want from your executives, or managers, here are some of the top seven reasons I’ve found.
1. You are not asking for what you want.
2. Others are not clear about your expectations.
3. There are no deadlines and it’s not on the calendar.
4. You keep changing your mind and forget your priorities.
5. You keep stepping in to do the work.
6. There’s no system of accountability.
7. Difficult conversations are avoided.
People want to be successful. They want to please their boss. If you’ve looked at the list and none of these apply, two other reasons could be lack resources or lack of skill. If you are in a leadership role and you aren’t getting what you want, the bad news is you are partly to blame. The good news is you own all of the power to change the situation.
Marlene Chism is an executive educator, consultant, and author of Stop Workplace Drama, (Wiley 2011) and No-Drama Leadership (Bibliomotion 2015). She works with executives, and high-performing leaders who want to transform culture in the workplace. To explore opportunities please email marlene@marlenechism.com
