Part Three Workplace Wellness -The Importance of Leadership
Having been fortunate enough to work in over 25 countries on four continents gives one massive insight into the dynamics that play themselves out in different organisations and different cultures. The irony is that one quickly learns that no matter where you find yourself in the world, the dynamics are all pretty much the same. Of course, there are differences and there are different nuances but some things apply as much in the USA as they do in Europe or Africa. At the end of the day, everything pretty much boils down to one thing – leadership.
“Everything rises and falls on leadership” The words of Dr John Maxwell, who is considered to be a leadership guru. What is less well known is the second part of this quote; “ …but knowing how to lead is only half the battle. Understanding leadership and actually leading are two different activities” This is the crux of the matter. Many leaders think that their position in the company is all they need to lead. This is not just a problem but can be detrimental at every level. Bad leadership leads to a toxic environment, high staff turnover, low productivity, low morale, more sick days and ultimately a corporate culture that is damaging to the health and emotional well-being of staff.
The Chinese proverb; “The fish rots from the head” is not only true, but it’s also damaging, incredibly so. We often refer to how this proverb played itself out in massive organisations like Enron (remember them?) Steinhoff, Tongaat Hullett, VBS Bank, Eskom, SAP, the list goes on and on. As South Africans’ we are well aware of the damage and destruction this has caused our country. Every time our electricity is switched off (which is far too often) is a stark reminder of bad leadership. The word “Gupta” drips with venom and remains the personification of evil. Our Political leaders, whom we trusted, chose to sell the soul of our nation. Business leaders followed suit. Unfortunately, this kind of leadership doesn’t only exist in big organisations, it plays itself out daily.
It's simply not possible to assess the damage that bad leadership produces. The problem is that the “damage” is not a once-off event, it often manifests in various forms over a period of time, even years. Sadly some people never recover. Apart from dealing with financial damage, they are also required to deal with the emotional and psychological damage. When leaders fail there is little thought given to the staff or their families. What makes it even worse is that these people are innocent, honest human beings. They go to work day after day, week after week, year after year trying to eke out a living. They trusted their leaders to do the right thing. They even showed respect. Then….BOOM!
I have seen examples of bad leadership manifest all too often and it’s always the employees i.e staff, who suffer. On the other hand, however, I am pleased to say that I have experienced and worked with some remarkable leaders. Leaders of integrity, leaders who have character, leaders who speak truth; no matter how difficult it may be. These men and women exist at every level of leadership and we desperately need them to take up their leadership roles. Society, which includes business, is in desperate need for more leaders to accept the challenge. Unfortunately, the media only reports on bad leadership because bad news sells. We need to find ways to somehow acknowledge and honour these leaders who play such a vital role in society.
I am of the persuasion that leadership plays a massive role in the well-being of our staff. We all need role models, we all need people we can follow. Be that leader that leads and leads well.
