Breaking news: A majority of bosses have finally determined who is to blame for their organizations’ poor performance. Getting to the answer wasn’t easy. Lots of surveys were taken, and thousands of people were interviewed. And the findings were conclusive: The people to blame for your problems are (drum roll…….) the next people down the org chart.
The data is so irrefutable one leader coined the phrase, “The Next Level Down Syndrome.” Consider these painful symptoms:
– When bosses huddle together, look over their shoulder and gossip, “Why don’t they get it?”
– “How come my people aren’t more productive?” (Psssst…has anybody ever gotten ill when you hear someone refer to their team as “my people”?)
– “Wait until the numbers come in at the end of the quarter, and then we’ll make strategic adjustments.” (A confession of who’s really doing the work.)
(Of course, as you go deeper in an organization, the syndrome mutates into a new form: “The Next Level Up” is where all our problems are.)
No doubt, it’s a powerful force when a leadership team of 20 is aligned, communicating and trusting each other. But the real might within the organization – the real magic of transformation – happens when that leadership team is equipped to move from bossing to leading. Telling to discovering. Silence to acknowledging. Reprimanding to celebrating. Waiting to action.
20 people holding hands while 10,000 are freaked out about the direction of the company and the lack of information will never enable an organization to please its customer.
Before your team leaves your meeting, ask the question: What is everyone’s best strategy to ensure the next level down is aligned with and owns the decisions we just made?
We share current information on strategic and tactical direction verbally through weekly leadership team meetings. This allows us to provide rapid feedback back up the chain. A possible downside is that it is verbal and, as such, can be more susceptable to interpretation.
This situation is very prevalent at my company.
While I and my co-workers were working 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, for months, to complete a project that was totally mis-managed, our bosses were ‘roasting’ us workers during the annual review process for their mistakes. The managers attended all project planning meetings (workers were not invited), but didn’t pass on vital information to the workers. I wasn’t involved in the project until about 1.5 months before this 9 month project, was promised to be deliverd and immediately found a major design flaw. My co-worker and I saved the project, but are now on probation. Yes, perceptions at each level are certainly different. My review says I’m supposed to know what the business is doing, but I’m not allowed to travel to where my business users are nor am I allowed to invite myself to meetings where they are discussing projects. Managers do not communicate what they know but hold workers accountable for information that they don’t provide. Communication in an organization is vital but, often, sadly missing. Wouldn’t everyone be more satisfied if management communicated and took responsibility for their own actions???????
Dear John Doe –
Thank you for your note. It’s clear you have a passion for results, and I support your expectations for high performance and communication from all levels of the organization.
It sounds as though you’re in a very difficult and challenging situation, so to the extent you can continue to function from your values – bringing your “A” game, acting with integrity, remaining focused on those things you can control – I applaud you. And, to answer your question at the bottom of your note, yes, it would be terrific if communication was stronger and responsibility was taken at all levels.
From this perspective, we’re in no position to offer advice – nor were you soliciting any. That said, I can only encourage you to use the leadership tools you have to A) Flex your awareness to shape the experience you want to have (this starts with our focus), B) Model the behaviors you want to see others demonstrate (with no attachment that they ever change), and C) and funnel your energy and passion away from disappointment in others and increasingly towards the leader you want to be.
A, B, and C above are not easy. And in the end, our success in those three largely defines us.
We’re honored to be partnered with you. Thanks again for your passion –
Craig Ross