The Epiphany of Shitty Leaders
Posted on July 10, 2018 by Mark Robinson, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Leader or not, reflection is a powerful tool. Self-shaming impedes your ability to change - are you ready to look in the mirror with your eyes open
I had the absolute pleasure of speaking at the HRPA2018 annual conference in Toronto, Canada this week. I hosted “Making Shitty Leaders Less Shitty” lecture for HR delegates. Nine months of planning led to this moment. As my mind wandered and I played the usual self-doubting tricks "will they like me? “will anyone show up?” “will they care about what I have to say?” I found my courage and became comfortable with the risk. Add the support of my team and the conference; I was ready and willing to forge ahead and begin sharing “the how-to guide for shitty leaders to be less shitty through active leadership.”
The interactions were overwhelmingly beautiful. The lecture feedback was “humbling and introspective.” At our exhibit, the flow continued. As the delegates approached, they saw the whiteboard that said: “what is a shitty leader?” They were asked to contribute their insights on what a shitty leader demonstrates and did so willingly. As they wrote their words, the following reactions occurred:
Laughter – “Oh, that is awesome, I love it.”
Laughter combined with fear “Oh, I work for one, I know of one” (or 12)
Curiosity combined with hesitancy – “Maybe I am one?”
We shared our perspective of how “shitty leaders are not shitty people”, and the real-time reflections continued. The interactions, the connections, the epiphanies were inspirational to see and feel. The delegates walked away with some new insights.
Those who demonstrate shitty leadership behaviours can incite feelings and actions in others that if permitted, penetrates at an emotional level. It feeds victim behaviour which fuels workplace apathy, Sunday despair and corporate disengagement.
Ask yourself, "are you self-aware enough to know you are self-aware? “Could you be demonstrating shitty leadership behaviours?” "Could you be contributing to workplace apathy and corporate disengagement?
There is only one way to find out, and it starts with YOU.
The mirror is waiting. Take a look!
