The day of reckoning has arrived. Your leadership skills need an overhaul, and I’ve detailed why in the following slides. Any of these shortcomings sound familiar?

1. Don’t Know Your Job

You’re the invisible man, the one who doesn’t delve into the details or pitch in. You insulate yourself, telling us it’s “not my job” and to “just do it.” We know your dirty secret: You’re out of touch. It’s time to step away from your precious spreadsheets and get your hands dirty. You can’t channel talent, time, and tools if you don’t know how they’re already being deployed.

2. Don’t Listen

We’ve seen it all. You fiddle with your BlackBerry (RIMM) when we’re speaking. You interrupt constantly to make your points. And you roll your eyes and grow impatient—unless you’re talking. No matter, you disregard our input anyway. So we’ve given up; we don’t come to you anymore. And we both suffer for it. If you want to succeed, rebuild that goodwill. It’ll require time and toil, but the best relationships always do.

3. Closed-Minded

You’re gifted and accomplished, the best and brightest. And that has made you susceptible to pride. Now, you’re quick to reach conclusions. Everything is one-sided, with no room for discussion, differences, or dissent. You may view yourself as all-knowing, but conditions change. And talent doesn’t stand for “my way or the highway” for long. Pride goeth before a fall. Question is, can you open up and adapt before then?

4. Poor Preparation

Another emergency meeting. Drop what you’re doing, they need it now. We’re changing direction and working late again. It’s always last minute, make it up as you go along. Maybe it fosters teamwork and creativity sometimes, but you can only cry wolf so many times. In reality, the unexpected drama reflects your inability to set expectations, plan ahead, and think it through. And it’s just wearing us down.

5. Not Building Skills

“People are our most important asset.” Well, it’s empty rhetoric here. Maybe you want to be hands-off or encourage self-reliance. Whatever the intent, you’re not helping us grow. And that’s your real job as a manager: to broaden our outlook, push us beyond our comfort zones, exemplify the corporate values, and focus us on learning, serving, persevering, leading, and advancing. Don’t take that responsibility lightly.

6. Overzealous

History remembers the tyrants but rarely the subjects who did the heavy lifting. It’s no different here. You’ve created a divide-and-conquer atmosphere, all stick and no carrot, where everyone should be the same workaholic reflection of you. Eventually, your bullying and rah-rah intensity produces one question: “Why?” You may think we should be in “for life,” but what are you giving back in return for that blind loyalty?

7. Don’t Maintain Discipline

All the workers come and go as they please, living according to their own rules. No one knows who is where or doing what, and the result is chaos. Maybe you want to be our buddy—or experience how a sweat shop atmosphere fosters only resentment. Either way, coddling does no favors to anyone. Like it or not, you need to set rules and hold people accountable.

8. Never Heard of Tact

You always remind us that we’re replaceable and working at your pleasure. Yes, it’s your legendary bluntness. Your talent and tenure shields you from scrutiny. Sadly, your lack of self-awareness results in everyone—superiors and reports—maligning or marginalizing you. Brains take you only so far; eventually, you’ll need to build and nurture relationships. And that requires people skills: listening, charming, understanding, and compromising. Think you’re up for that?

9. Lack Influence

It’s funny how we’re usually last to get face time and resources. Our mission is vital and performance exceeds expectations. You’d like to believe it’s jealousy, but maybe the messenger is undercutting the message. Look at your variables: appearance, body language, and speaking and writing styles. Do you always convey the image of a polished professional who can work in a team and get the job done? If you can’t, you’ll never get anyone’s ear.

10. Blindside Us

Ah, there’s nothing like a surprise. Whether you’re singling us out in public or ambushing us in private, you’re not afraid to render judgments and deliver lectures. Despite our advanced degrees and track records, you still treat us as servants. Instead of dropping the news all at once, give us fair warning when our performance doesn’t meet expectations. Always take action immediately—and discreetly.

1. An effective manager agonizes over each detail of a big plan.

____True ____False

2. Employee attitudes toward change are impossible to discover. If an employee knows his organization wants him to embrace change, he can mask his attitude successfully.
____True ____False

3. A competent leader delegates responsibility only after analyzing whether the employee is capable of successfully completing the task.

____True ____False

4. Some subordinates don’t want to do what needs to be done; they prefer to exercise their creativity in their own way. A leader faced with this kind of worker should leave her alone to work the way she thinks best.

____True ____False

5. A verbose manager can hinder effective communication.

____True ____False

6. Only weak leaders ask for help once they have set their course of action.

____True ____False

7. Telling team members to observe an expert at work is the best way to develop talents in others.

____True ____False

8. Effective managers stay with a problem indefinitely, even when it appears impossible to solve.

____True ____False

1. False. A manager who cannot move beyond the small details of an important plan has lost sight of the big picture.

2. False. Although some employees are adept at hiding things, top leaders can discover such things as attitudes toward change through a sharply focused assessment. Moving a worker who dislikes change to another position will result in a better job fit and more productivity.

3. True. Competent leaders delegate responsibility after assessing their workers’ capabilities, interests and development needs.

4. False. Effective leaders clearly spell out their expectations for subordinates. Although constructive corrections might bruise an ego, a leader cannot lead someone pointed in the wrong direction.

5. True. By its definition, communication requires that more than one person speaks—a give and take—never a give and give and give. Even if team members disagree, considering all viewpoints can lead to creative solutions. Voila! Communication!

6. False. Seeking help to complete a project on deadline is always a more effective course of action than stubbornly pushing forward toward failure. There is no “I” in team.

7. False. Observing a master at work is only one way of developing others’ skills. Other necessary methods include observation of the employee’s habits, constructive criticism, and focused training.

8. True. Effective managers know that every problem has a solution. And they find it.

In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man, or manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work.

In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition, the punishment fierce denial and distraction.  When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few.

If his work is merely mediocre he will be left severely alone. If he achieves a masterpiece, it will set a million tongs a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you
write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you, unless your work is stamped with the seal of genius.

Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler, long after the big world had
acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius.  Multitudes flocked to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat while the big world flocked to the riverbanks to see the boat steam by.

The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership.  Failing to equal or excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and destroy, but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant.

There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions: envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads he remains a leader.  Master poet, master painter, master
workman; each in his turn is assailed and each holds his laurels through the ages.

That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial.  That which deserves to live… lives.