Nothing hurts an organization more than a leader who doesn’t lead. Where there is no vision, the people perish, says the Scripture, and where there is no action, the people pay the price. It’s not pretty
When leaders fail to lead, several things inexorably result:
No one knows where the organization is going. In fact, it’s probably not going anywhere but backwards, down, or over the edge. The lack of vision, a limited vision or an unclear vision generate uncertainty, insecurity, inefficiency, lack of productivity, decrease in excellence.
The organization is adrift. You can see it in the uncut grass and feel it in the organizational culture.
Key decisions remain undecided. Nobody pulls the trigger. Risk aversion reigns supreme.
The Board of the organization is becoming stagnant. If a leader does not lead the Board of the organization is part of the problem. He is not holding the leader accountable and is turning against himself.
The budget is unfocused and therefore inefficient. Resources are lacking. Staff care more about how they can protect what they have than how they can advance the organization’s mission.
Staff lack incentives and responsibility. Nobody is energizing them, advising or monitoring them, rewarding them.
The best and brightest personal license. People with talent and initiative want to follow people with the same. They want to go and grow, not muddle through.
The organization’s assets eroded. Revenues inevitably decline. Endowments and goods are attached. Operating deficits and accumulated operating debt increase.
Power bases are developed among staff. Nature abhors a vacuum, they say, and this maxim is proven once again. When leaders don’t lead, someone else tries to lead, however reckless. The “camps” take place within the organization. People don’t join; they separate.
When leaders fail to lead, the organization becomes one of the walking dead. It is certainly not thriving and over time is barely surviving.
Leaders who do not lead, for whatever reason, remain responsible and must be held accountable. It sounds harsh, but the stakes are too high. Leaders need to lead, follow, or get out of the way.
