Food Recalls, FAA Investigations, Layoff Fails, Lack of Transparency and others Corporate Debacles can usually be avoided with better risk management and a positive organization culture. Yet bad press in the news is growing and I am clearly seeing what is going wrong in the C-Suite.
As the Drop In CEO, I’ve dropped in to enough situations to see common trends Organizations will Crumble from the Top and Bottom; leaving them in Crisis. My superpower is to assess the landscape, listen to the people and find clarity into what is the true problem. Once I fix the problem in partnership with the C-Suite Leader, we elevate the people for a lasting impact and sustain the new level of performance. In most cases, I’m called in too late when there is crisis and some damage has been done. I plead with those reading this to heed these top 5 issues to prevent a crisis and perhaps bring me in when you feel things getting chaotic and you’re losing sleep.
Have the Courage to Ask for Help: Leaders wait too long hoping the problem will go away or with brut force it will get resolved. They feel shame in asking for help when true leadership realizes adding capacity and capability to their situation will help them navigate faster away from a crisis.
Trust, but Verify: As organizations grow and we’re disconnected from the tactical execution of the strategy, leaders get lazy and trust their people are giving you the right information. Honestly, we do need to expect that as we build out the talent. But every once in a while, you need to challenge the data you are receiving and verify it is the truth. Discovery will help you to feel confident in things are working or the transparency you need to identify risks and close gaps.
Losing Connectivity with People as the Organization Grows: Leaders need to find ways to assure their messages are cascaded down and understood by the teams. Additionally, the issues, gaps, perceptions etc. need to flow up and have access to senior leaders for valuable feedback and taking action before you’re in a crisis. Find creative ways to assure people feel included, they belong and are part of a culture that values individuals vs. simply results.
Close gaps in performance, not results: When you close gaps in people’s capacity, capability or confidence, you unleash their potential. When leaders focus on the results and people are not performing at their peak based on leading indicators of barriers, you’ll never sustain any short-lived results you might get. Focus on the people and they will get you the results.
Leaders no longer need to be lonely: Leaders often say it is lonely at the top. The fact is, they have a choice to have a partner or a #2 that can be that trusted confident to speak to and help navigate out of a crisis or avoid it. So often, they seek the advice of their C-Suite team or board of advisors as they should. However, they’re not impartial and a little too close to the situation. Consider a “Drop In CEO” as another guide in your journey to lead organizations. You can take action to stop the loneliness and expand your capacity by enlisting that valuable resource. Failure to do so can make it lonelier when you can’t see the challenges in front of you.
If this is you or an organization you care about that is experiencing some type of pain, let’s talk.
I’m here for you to avoid a crisis.
DM me on Linkedin or let’s make it easier and book a call here.
I just want to see you succeed!-Deb