The Big Rollback

The big rollback...not really poor leadership, but could have been.

Morale is at an all time low I am told, due to the economy. This leader is beside themselves trying to figure out how to fix it. They want surveys, 360degree surveys, benchmarks for the industry, roundtable discussions with other industry leaders to see if they are experiencing the same thing. It's sheer madness he says, they cannot get out of the funk.


So, here comes the coach. My first question is....what is your mood? What is your attitude? Are you perpetuating the ' poor me' or are you pushing past it and asking...why not me? What can I do about it? What can I change?

The leader paused for a moment...well, longer than a moment, for which I give him great credit....and then he said..no one has ever asked me that before. No one has challenged me to change my perspective instead of finding excuses for the perspective I have.

I could not tell at the moment if he was happy or grateful for the challenge or not. Time will tell if he picks it up and moves forward with it. By the end of our session he was willing to consider that he could be the game changer by moving forward instead of looking for excuses for everyone.

What could have turned into a complete business debacle ( a poor leadership adventure spiralling out of control) turned into a good coaching session, where my client learned a skill to take back to his team.

Changing perspectives is not easy, sometimes you need the prompt.

Excuses in Business

Excuses do not make good business sense. There is a difference between a reason and an excuse.  Many poor leaders use excuses to get out of tough situations.  Even worse, they accept excuses because they have set the example of giving them out.  They do not understand the difference between reason and excuse.


A reason is....the why with facts and a follow up plan.

An excuse is....the why with emotions and lacks confidence.

How do you fix this?

1-build action plans with specific measurable steps that are assigned to specific people
2-Admission of mistakes...they happen, people are people, not perfect. Admitting the mistake and moving on creates a more open and creative environment.
3- take time to Revise strategy, it may be what is needed to create a better product.
4-focus on Moving forward by bringing everyone along, ensuring that it all make sense to everyone involved. Take time asking and answering questions to obtain understanding.

In a nutshell, a good leader can build accomplishment by keeping focused on the vision that is grounded in culture-based values. If everyone is on the same page, with the same principles for guidance, the excuses go away quickly.