Did you ever experience the misfortune of having to bow and kowtow to an unfit leader?
Imagine one of these characters becoming your immediate boss.
1. New graduate COO (Child-Of-Owner)
2. Golf-buddy of the owner
3. Best friend of the owner’s daughter.
Inmates running the asylum? If this sounds familiar, I can almost hear you say:
“Don’t get me started!”
THE SCATTER-BRAINED LEADER
For those of you who have never been in a situation like those, listen to this story. My client told us about her scatterbrained leader. He loved giving orders at the last minute. Why? Because he had the undesirable habit of procrastinating. Focus was a skill that was not one of his strengths. His mind seemed to be perennially floating in some dimension in outer space.
And then when it seemed like the house was on fire, he would jump into panic mode, and approach an array of people to rescue him from his predicament. The problem is that he habitually asked several people for help, but never documented who promised what during their conversations. To make matters worse, his mantra was: “I know what I’m doing.”
STATE OF CONFUSION
When the day of reckoning came, things turned into your worst nightmare. Team members were in a state of confusion - and were blamed for disastrous results. Worst of all, the leader never cared to address feedback and suggestions, or take corrective action.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
How do you get things done with inmates running the asylum?
1. As soon as a project is received, assign one of the team members as the leader’s right-hand man. This person will keep everyone concerned posted on progress and development: blow-by-blow.
2. Identify the 5 W + 1 H of the project: Who. What. Why. When. Where. How.
3. Assign roles based on team members’ strengths and weaknesses.
4. Plot a realistic timeline and target date.
5. Last but not least, always have a Plan-B. Now, that is non-negotiable!
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