I’ve often said that insecurity is the one thing that derails most leaders who fail. This is primarily because their insecurity prevents them from hiring others who will tell them the truth and give them the bad news. When the team members can’t “speak truth to power” the organization runs the risk of self destruction because leaders will be blind-sided by dangers that are lurking but never discussed.
Last week, Jefferies Financial Group published “10 Years Later – 25 Lessons We Learned from the Financial Crisis.” One of the lessons reinforced this same message. Jefferies wrote, “You need to surround yourself with smart, high quality people who are aligned in motivation, have access to all relevant information and are empowered to raise questions, champion contrarian ideas, and challenge the status quo. Otherwise your odds of surviving when chaos hits are greatly diminished. If you insist on being the smartest person in the room and are looking for supplicants to remind you about how brilliant you are, it’s only a matter of time. Arrogance is the ingredient that guarantees eventual destruction.”
Think about you and your team. Are your direct reports empowered to raise questions? To champion contrarian ideas? To challenge the status quo? When they do this, how do you respond? Are you secure enough to listen and not get defensive? Or do you give excuses and justifications to avoid addressing the tough issues?
These are meaningful questions that will help you determine whether you have the security to be a great leader. If you struggle with these, now is the time for personal growth and development. Make an effort to be more secure, to accept criticism and contrary views, and to listen carefully when others challenge the status quo. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. As a leader, it’s better to surround yourself with smart people than to think you have to know it all. These things will make you and your team better and improve your organization’s chances for success.
Thanks for reading,
Jim
P.S. – Follow me on Twitter, @jvearle, and please share my post with others who love leadership and positivity!
Jim Earle 