Leadership Best Practices that No Longer Work
Regardless of where you live or what industry you work in, change is a common factor. Organizations feel the transformation and they’re asking this valuable question: How do you be a good leaders in today’s constantly shifting society?
Companies that want to attract new talent — and increase engagement among current employees — recognize that outdated leadership styles need to be forfeited, and replaced with new leadership best practices that are relevant to today’s tech-heavy, innovative, and ever-evolving workforce.
Leadership theory and history reveal that leadership styles have always been dynamic and reflective of society. Some prevalent leadership styles from the past still influencing today’s leaders include:
Autocratic Leadership — Especially in the middle of the 20th century, this authoritarian leadership style was common. An individual (or small group of individuals) had control over decisions with very little input from group members. Teams weren’t consulted. Voices weren’t heard. While sometimes this style of leadership was (and still is) appropriate, when it’s widespread a culture of “us” versus “them” is created and a power struggle is likely to ensue.
Motivational Leadership — Inspirational and motivational leadership began popping up in the 70s and 80s as leaders were trying to move from transactional leadership (a simple exchange of reward for follower effort) to something more transformational. The intention was good, but it didn’t always work out well.
There’s not enough structure and guidance for everyone to find success under motivational leadership. It’s also easy to get caught up in ideals, and fail to focus on essential tasks of the job. And as we now know, when a leader tries too hard to motivate and inspire, the dynamics can shift for the worse.
Organic Leadership — Leadership began to shift in the early 2000s. The world was stable, and many boomer-generation leaders were approaching retirement. The younger generation stepping into new leadership roles questioned leadership methods of the past and steered toward a more holistic, organic approach. They viewed the organization as a whole, wanted the perspectives of team members, and strayed from traditional hierarchy.
This era was also when knowledge workers became a significant percentage of the overall workforce. Knowledge workers are highly specialized and highly educated, requiring a different style of leadership and hierarchy structure.
What are the consequences of ineffective leadership?
Leadership is a crucial aspect of any organization. Ineffective leadership can lead to significant consequences like low morale, high turnover rates, and poor performance. Today’s leaders face unique challenges. The pandemic has resulted in increased stress, turnover, and demands. Ineffective leadership can no longer be ignored. It’s critical for leaders to authentically connect with employees and lead them with confidence.
As leadership continues to evolve, here are five “best practices” that need to be kicked to the curb, because they just don’t work anymore:
1. Micromanagement. It might be a stretch to put this on a “best-practice” list, but it’s so prevalent that I’d be remiss to ignore it. We've all met micromanagers in our careers, and many of us have felt the misery of their smothering oversight at work. The micromanager’s watchful eyes and demand of control mimics autocratic leadership styles of days past. And yet, the breed never becomes extinct. That's because, too often, some of us become them.
And that's why we need to understand what lies at the root of micromanaging behavior. What do micromanagers fear? How do we, who report to them, provoke that terrible behavior? How can we solve the root cause? At the core of micromanagement is a trust issue that needs to be remedied. If you want to dig into micromanagement more, listen to my podcast on the subject.
2. Managing by walking around. The concept of managing by randomly walking around is linked back to the management practices at Hewlett Packard in the 1970s. The well meaning goals of this practice were to get a random and unbiased sample of what was going on in the workplace, improve leadership presence, and boost morale.
In today’s world, this practice is outdated due to practicality. First, it is hard to walk around when organizations are increasingly global and hybrid. Popping into random Zoom meetings seems absurd. Similarly, the random pop-in that distracts someone from deep work also is counter productive.
The deeper reason random leadership walks don’t work is that employees, especially young ones, are craving actual feedback and engagement with their managers. A random pop-in doesn’t meet the need for regular coaching and feedback, nor does it inspire anyone as a leader might hope.
One of my friends is a marketing and business communication professor. He told me that a lot of the tropes about Generation Z are actually wrong. “They don’t crave trophies or praise about everything,” he said. “They crave investment. When my students know that I am invested in them, they will listen even when it is difficult.”
3. Open door policy. The intent of an open door policy seems clear on the surface. Leaders so value their teams that they are willing to drop what they are doing at any moment to meet with their employees. Answers, inspiration, and motivation just an office door away. But what should be a validating practice is instead similar to an “unlimited vacation” policy — well intended, but way too vague to be effective. Open door policies welcome chronic distraction for everyone, and prevent independent thinking. Leaders have jobs to do that extend beyond answering questions and chatting about the weekend. Furthermore, employees will learn more and become better at their jobs when they’re forced to have an appropriate level of independence.
4. Rewarding availability and responsiveness. If you’re still rating systems and employees based on what worked in 2019, it’s time to re-evaluate — especially in today’s hybrid era where effective metrics are a critical ingredient for measuring and incentivizing remote work.
In the past, employees have been unofficially rated by the metric of response time. Whoever sent that “Yep, I’m on it,” email the fastest won. Whoever would drop everything for a last-minute, urgent request got the gold star. But what about the big picture, the goals, the strategy? Those are metrics that will lead to results and it’s time to start giving them the respect they deserve. See my Forbes article on Metrics that Matter for two real-world illustrations on metrics.
5. Meeting default. When something is unclear, get everyone in a meeting, brainstorm ideas on the white board, talk it out — and be sure to order lunch because it’s going to take a while. Following an organic leadership style, everyone needs to give their input and be heard. Right? Wrong.
Employees report that meetings are their #1 waste of time and up to 71% of meetings are considered pointless by attendees. It’s time to start valuing time, attention, and productivity. Let people actually do their jobs. Employees will be happier and companies will see improved results. Check out my best-practice meeting guide and the Focuswise infographic on how to run effective meetings for practical tips on improving the meeting problem in your organization.
Conclusion
We are at a unique point in time where leaders have the opportunity to understand the needs of today’s modern workforce and honestly evaluate their own leadership practices. Replacing antiquated leadership practices with empathy, flexibility, and clarity will attract and retain new and existing talent going forward.