Many leaders who talk over their people, castigate in public or otherwise behave in ways that create a negative atmosphere have no conscious intention to create such an atmosphere. They are simply unaware of the impact they are having is not what they would intend.
BY MICHAEL F. BROOM, Ph.D., Organization Development Psychologist
A frustrated leader screams at a valued employee in public; another talks over a subordinate while wondering why his people don’t speak up more. Both leaders have done something (with no conscious intention) that is likely to damage their effectiveness as leaders.
We all do and say things that have impacts we don’t intend. We excuse ourselves with “I didn’t mean to say that,” “The devil made me do it,” or “That wasn’t me.” Or we blame someone for the mess we’ve made. It’s no use. The damage is done.
A leader will damage their effectiveness if their impact is too often out of sync with a more thoughtful intention.
Some intention is behind each of our actions. Most of our intentions, however, are automatic and unconscious from having become a habit, like the leader who thoughtlessly talked over one of his people. Or our automatic reactions may intend to relieve stress, as with the frustrated leader.
In either case, the impact of their actions produced undesirable results out of sync with more thoughtful intentions.
As mentioned, everything we say and do has an impact, but do your actions and words trigger undesirable consequences you do not intend?
Walking into a meeting, many leaders simply intend to get some set of business conducted with little intention directed at their impact on their people. The lack of such intentions invites their people to join the “great resignation.”
As a leader, you must have multiple intentions working simultaneously. At a minimum, you must be clear about your intended impact regarding getting work done and maintaining a healthy work atmosphere and culture. It fits the sentiment: “it’s not just what you say, but also how you say it.”
Without the healthy work atmosphere or culture, the work may get done, but not without struggle or subpar results.
Many leaders who talk over their people, castigate in public or otherwise behave in ways that create a negative atmosphere have no conscious intention to create such an atmosphere. They are simply unaware of the impact they are having is not what they would intend.
Being aware and thoughtful about our intentions is an important use of self. It allows us to notice whether the intentions of our behavior are creating the impact we desire. If not, we can recalibrate our behavior to better achieve the intended impact.
The world of organizations has become a world that overvalues multi-tasking and speed. Both cause us to move from task to task, from meeting to meeting, from person to person, with little clarity about the impacts they intend to make.
Slow down and think through the impacts you intend to make. By slowing down and being conscious about how you are using yourself, you will help your people, your teams, and your organization to be more effective!
Our next article will be about how to use yourself consciously to increase your influence with others. Something no leader can do without!
There is always more to learn about creating great teams and organizations. You will significantly deepen your understanding and skills for working with organizations and teams if you sign-up for the powerful programs: “The Nine Disciplines of Leadership & Self-Mastery and The Seven Core Actions of Complex Change.”
These master class-level programs are both intensive and comprehensive, with a clear focus on skill-building. Check them out at chumans.com/master-classes or email me at michael@chumans.com.
Michael F. Broom, Ph.D., has been an organization development psychologist for 45 years. He consults with organizations of all types, including Google and Genentech, among others. He has taught at major universities, including Johns Hopkins and American. For more information, you can contact him at www.chumans.com or michael@chumans.com.
