This Week’s Focus Point
By Dr. Jason Carthen
Demonstrating Frustration with Leadership
The young lady had been a part of the sales team for several years and continued to show signs of great promise. However, there were times when she had moments of what I like to call “acting out” or demonstrating frustration with leadership which threatened her career trajectory. It was only after a number of coaching sessions that she opened up and vented her frustration regarding how the uncertainty of the company’s future was causing her to “act out.”
Lack of Appreciation Creates Frustration
You see, suggestion after suggestion was offered by this team member and was not heeded, for this reason, she did not feel valued and appreciated. This perceived lack of appreciation coupled with uncertainty created the perfect storm of anger, frustration and bitterness that resulted in a promising employee resigning.
Employ a Blend of Both Shared and Transformational Leadership
For leaders in the current global environment, there is a very real threat of losing their best employees to other companies due to uncertainty. This uncertainty is caused by increased competition and a new generation of employees that are seeking more of a voice and greater influence upon their respective careers. For this reason, as leaders embark into this unchartered territory of global business and entrepreneurship, it is prudent to employ a blend of both Shared and Transformational Leadership to allay any concerns related to uncertainty while shaping the very future of global leadership.
Implement Shared Leadership
One of the ways to implement Shared Leadership is to foster a flatter hierarchical structure that allows leadership to take place at various levels of the organization while promoting from within to retain institutional knowledge. While not easily embraced in traditional top-down organizational cultures, shared leadership may be the best pathway forward for global leadership as it relates to sustainability and proper succession planning.
Develop a Voice
I share this because research suggests that whether a collectivistic Asian culture or an individualistic American culture, the employees will still benefit form having a voice in the trajectory of the company. This voice serves to create loyalty both to the company and to the leader from their followers and insures better morale and a healthy culture which is the lifeblood to this new generation of workers.
Very unique business considerations face global leaders in todays environment and these considerations must be explored for a greater understanding of the path forward. How would your company benefit from Shared Leadership?
