My CFO once told me Rank Has Its Privilege, it does so use it wisely. Sloppy use of rank can create confusion and lack of consistency. Subordinates model their behavior on your actions.
We’ve all got the stories of leaders asking what they considered innocuous questions (why is that door there?) to suddenly find an unexpected outcome (the door was walled over). I don’t wear ties, and when I ran a PE firm in London I started noticing one by one my people were adopting my dress code. It’s minor but it’s not.
Of bigger importance are the ways you treat people or processes. For example, do you create false deadlines and have people scramble for no real reason, or do you accept “whenever” and never see action? What you do and what you accept is THE culture of your group. You may not notice it but poor leadership drives subordinates crazy – you’ve been there. But if the perpetrator is blind to their ways how does it get fixed?
One way is to get and give feedback constantly, don’t wait for the year end review. Create a culture of openness and honesty. Provide teaching moments. We all make mistakes, but if you see something; say something. Waiting until December is your fault, saying nothing is implicit consent.
Changing your behaviors once you’ve had them identified takes some practice but really it’s more a calibration than a tear down (you can’t turn a pigs ear into a silk purse – the truly incompetent deserve a new vocation not coaching).
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