when leaders fail to act

Everyone has experienced times when people in leadership roles fail to act.  It may be something such as the unwillingness to let someone from the organization go; or it may be they do not hold certain individuals accountable; or they do not demand that certain metrics are being met; or they fail to follow through on their promises; or they fail to perform a function required of the role.  All leaders fail to act at certain times and, if they are willing, will learn from those failures and improve their performance over time.

Here is the paradox of what I am thinking about...leaders who fail to act on certain issues over time have either isolated themselves from feedback or are unwilling to make the changes that are necessary in order to act in a different manner.  I am a big believer in Maya Angelou's quote "Do the best you can until you know better; then, when you know better, do better."  The paradox is that, for the most part, leaders who fail to act will never know better because if they were people who would learn and know better, they would do better.  And those leaders who are not failing to act have, on their own, learned better and are already doing better.  It is quite a conundrum.

So let's think about those who realize that the leaders of their organizations are failing to act...and are not learning and knowing better...and are consistently not fulfilling the requirements of their roles.  What are these people to do?  How does one behave, for the good of the organization, when they observe their leader failing to act?  Here are a few thoughts:

• go to the leader and ask questions, genuinely (and humbly) inquiring into why they are not doing what is needed.  There may be good reasons as to why a leader fails to act in certain ways and at certain times.  A humble attitude towards this type of questioning serves both the leader and the one asking the question.
• consider the reasons behind the leader's inability to act and find ways to act in a way that might mitigate the leader's inability to act.  Again, doing this in a humble and graceful manner actually serves the leader and the organization.
• work the issue up the chain of command.  This is never easy to do and would often be a last resort in most organizations...and it is often necessary when the leader's inability to act is threatening the stability or existence of the organization.
• sometimes it is necessary to leave an organization and find employment elsewhere, especially if one believes that the leader's inability to act is putting the organization and its employees at risk. 

As I finish this blog, there are three requests (or pleas) that I have:

First, to all leaders...ACT! There are few legitimate excuses to not act in a manner that is required of those in leadership roles.  Yes, it is hard work...yes, it is often out of one's comfort zone...and yes, one may not have all the training and skills necessary.  There are still no excuses for a leader to fail to act.

Second, to those who hire leaders...CLARITY!  Please be sure that when a leader is placed into their role, they have great clarity as to what is required of them.  Many boards or individuals, upon hiring one to lead their organization, believe they will know what to do, or at the very least learn what to do.  Clarity of expectations up front is crucial, as is follow up and review of those expectations.

And third, to those in the organization...SPEAK UP! Leaders are human and will, at times, fail to act.  Give them the chance to learn to do better and, if they are not able to do that, then speak louder and to different people.  While a leader's inability to act may lead to the downfall of an organization, it is most often the employees unwillingness to speak up that really leads to that downfall.