HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN

If you've been with a company more than a few years, then you've seen it. A new person comes into the organization that you know very well. On day one, you know they will fail! Why is it that you can see the glaring mistake when others seem so oblivious? Because you know who really makes the decisions. You know the "type" that will be successful. And, you know where the bodies of the unsuccessful are buried. This person's career, family, and life were purposefully placed in danger by a single bad decision? Why was this square peg deliberately forced into this round hole?

CULTURE CONFUSION

In my experience, the leadership of most companies is not aware of the corporate culture they create. Their focus and energy are directed in so many other directions that Culture, whether intentionally or not, becomes the lowest priority... an afterthought. Yet on the other hand, most employees are completely in tune with the company's culture and see it for what it truly is, good or bad.

PRIORITIES & OTHER COMPLICATIONS

Just fill the vacancy. Sure, the team and organization need the position filled in order to meet today's goals and objectives. But then, what of tomorrow's priorities? Priority churn is the one leadership behavior that most directly drives chaos and employee disengagement. How can you follow a leader who doesn't know where they're headed? You can't. That's why you will often find these chaos leaders are just bullies surrounded by yes-men.

THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN

The big one, the quickest killer of morale and employee engagement... "Do As I Say, Not As I Do". Leadership must be genuine, unwavering, and all-in. So many times, I've witnessed the washy washy, vacillating leader who doesn't believe their own words. While they are completely unaware of their overt failure, the team and the organization can smell the betrayal like a rotting, dead body in the room.

TRUTH

The solution is easy. Be true to yourself, your team, and your organization. Sure, sometimes you may have to compromise and settle for less than you want. But as long as you are open, honest, and realistic about your decisions... your failures will make you better.

EXPERIENCE

“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” -  Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

Randy makes a great point here. Our education and life experiences, to a great extent,  are what make us who we are. In my experience, we tend to learn much more when things are not going well. I think this is true both in a vocational sense and in other aspects of our lives. The culmination of all of these experiences, particularly failures, is the fuel that fires our future successes.

SITUATION

"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." -Viktor E. Frankl

Want to grow? Then place yourself into a situation where you can't change the environment. Forcing yourself to adapt to an inflexible set of circumstances is a great way to reprogram your brain and develop new skills and perspectives. No matter how much education, experience, or confidence you may have, inserting yourself into a radically new and confining position will humble you and provide you with plenty of room to grow.