When I run leadership programmes conversation invariably ends up with delegates saying, âthis is great content, but my senior leaders need to come on this. They donât role model what you are sharing with usâ. Or âThey donât do the people leadership we are learning aboutâ. These comments arenât occasional. They are consistent on ALL the programmes I have run. Sadly, it is more common than it should be. My response is often around I am sad and sorry about this, but that shouldnât stop them from being the leader their people need. But you can clearly sense their frustration with their leaders.
Why is it that so many senior leaders seemingly donât overtly lead their people, and donât lead as their people need them to? Itâs ironic that the higher leaders go, the MORE they should be demonstrating leadership to their people, yet they appear to do it LESS..? Similarly, there is development investment in first line and mid-level leaders, but less so in more senior managers, where actually it should be at least AS high, as people leadership here is pivotal.
So what appears to be happening?
Why is it that senior leaders, often highly educated, experienced, often with some form of leadership development, seem to lead less? Themes/causes which I have collected from conversations with delegates on programmes and stand out include:
- Senior managers spend a lot of their time in meetings
- Very much task focussed, with limited levels of delegation
- Often in âOperator modeâ (which forces lower managers to operate in levels beneath where they are paid to).
- Priorities continually shifting from the SLT/Exec team
- Working with a silo mentality rather than collaboration with their senior peers
- Leaders become very much them centric, rather than people centric
- Leadership styles are often more directive in nature, rather than coaching
- Cited that many managers lack personal effectiveness and efficiency in their roles.
Anecdotally, it appears that many leaders struggle to balance both the role/task and the team elements, as they become more senior. Or that they âstopâ overtly leading when they get to a certain level? But what is the cause? Perhaps the pressure to âdeliverâ? Perhaps organisations are more reacting to the external environment place too many demands on their leaders? Maybe having lack of strategy or lack of sticking to the strategy causes leader to be more transactional than transformational? Perhaps some leaders âforgetâ to lead, or indeed choose not to lead. Maybe some leaders think they donât need to lead, that their people will simply get on with things? Is people leadership not a priority for them? Is it about confidence to lead, or indeed lack of development or coaching to lead effectively? Maybe it is a symptom of coming into leadership with no real leadership purpose or values?
Consequences of lack of senior people leadership?
Whatever the reason itâs a conundrum. The fact is, there is something that stops many leaders in role become leaders in action and reality. Moreover, there is a consequence to this. Their reports. Lack of senior leadership has a significant effect on their reports, who are all too aware of this leadership deficiency. These effects on immediate reports include, but are not limited to:
- Less engagement and motivation from immediate line reports.
- Reduced levels of âconnectionâ between senior managers and the whole of their teams
- Limited 121 coaching with immediate reports
- Lack of regular meaningful feedback
- Poor leadership role modelling
- Limited investment / time spent on team development
- Less discussions around performance and performance goals with immediate reports
- Uncertainty around approaching leader with changed perceptions of their line manager
- Lack of dissemination and discussion around organisational updates and information
- Lack of quality time with direct reports (often with 121âs cancelled, postponed, or not even booked in!)
For senior managers reading this article I would be very curious about their experiences, and thinking as to why people leadership often reduces the higher leaders go.
At times of uncertainty and with continual change ever present within organisations, the need for senior leaders to role model people leadership also increases. With 5 generations now within the workplace, there are multiple sets of people needs to be met, by all leaders. As organisations adjust to the era of AI, increased political and economic challenges, more âpowerâ being put at the feet of employees, leaders more than ever, need to be visible, present and engaged. Senior leaders are servants to both their organisation and their reports, not just the former. Greenleafâs model of servant leadership needs to be lived and experienced by all employees.
If this article stimulates just a handful of senior leaders to think differently about their own leadership, and even one or two to be different with their own people leadership, then I will take this as a win!
Want to discuss leadership in your organisation, then I am happy to chew things over with you, with no obligation attached…
Nick Howell is a Leadership Coach, Author (Great Coaching Questions) and Facilitator, working with individuals, teams and senior leaders, focusing on relevant and applicable learning, development and meaningful personal growth.