Questioning the quality of leadership
Our recent survey found that 12% of workers would not question the quality of leadership in any scenario, even when there was an obvious abuse of power. As an employee, whether entry-level or middle management, failing to challenge authority even in the face of poor leadership will open the door for complacency – allowing inefficiencies to remain unchecked and a poorly managed workplace culture to take hold.
In fact, recent research has found that one in four UK employees feel like outsiders at work, despite wanting to feel a sense of belonging; while over 40% of employees have said their business is being slowed down by inefficient processes and that they’re spending too much of their time completing tasks that have nothing to do with their job.
When issues such as these remain unchecked over an extended period of time and all hope of them ever being resolved is seen to be lost, dissatisfaction and disengagement spread like wildfire – employees will either mentally check out or leave.
But that’s not all. An inability or unwillingness to question leadership could also prevent employees from reaching their full potential.
Having the confidence to challenge authority creates opportunities for innovation, whether it’s by introducing new ideas, simplifying workflows or refining an existing methodology.
Failure to do so will likely result in outdated processes and poor decision-making hindering the performance of line managers and their teams, making it harder for any individual to showcase their readiness for professional development.
That being said, it’s one thing for an employee to lack the confidence to challenge their leadership team; it’s an entirely different problem when leaders lack the self-awareness to question their own decisions.
Research from Goldman Sachs found that advances in technology could result in nearly 300 million jobs being automated – placing two thirds of the jobs in the US and Europe at risk – while the Trades Union Congress has called for the UK government to put stronger rules in place to protect workers from decisions made by AI systems, following the increased integration of AI into the HR function.
And while a lot of people are optimistic about the improvements technology could make in the world of work, a large portion of the working population are fearful of the impact it could have on their long-term employability.
With these fears in mind, many employees will be looking to their leaders for human-centric and empathic leadership – qualities they may find lacking if the results of our recent survey are anything to go by – as 13% of leaders said they would never question their own leadership.
This inability or perhaps, reluctance, to reflect on key decisions and how they may impact the wider workforce suggests an alarming lack of self-awareness and care within the wider leadership population; shortfalls that will foster discontent and leave employees feeling unsupported in uncertain and challenging times.
Research has found that effective leaders are emotionally intelligent and encourage feedback as a means of continuous personal development. They resonate and connect with their employees on a human level and are willing to reflect on and refine their own behaviours, in order to adapt to the needs of their workforce.
But unlike the machines that are being integrated more and more into the world of work, all leaders will inevitably make mistakes – that’s why we call it human error. So, for one in ten to say they would never take the time to reflect on a decision they’ve made and question whether it was the right thing to do, suggests leadership runs the risk of becoming artificial without the intelligence.
While our research has identified a number of different traits and behaviours that constitute effective leadership, the DNA of each business is different and it’s important that an organisation does the groundwork to create a framework that encompasses their own values and culture. However, self-awareness and a willingness to learn feature heavily for many organisations. To completely forego any kind of self-reflection would suggest a leader that is both out of touch with their workforce and stagnated in terms of their own development.
A global automotive supplier wanted to enhance the leadership team in charge of its Poland manufacturing plant.
They partnered with Right Management to identify 8 critical leadership behaviours needed for sustained organisational success, creating a development programme based on the team’s existing capabilities and any gaps.
86% of team members agreed the support programme was a direct enabler of career enhancement
86% cited an ability to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills directly to their job
71% agreed the 1:1 and peer coaching sessions have helped them become better leaders
