A Leader Should Never Disappoint an Employee.

I recently came across a statement that mentioned “wise leaders must at times willingly disappoint their employees” and it got me thinking. In my opinion, this statement is true for managers but it does not hold true for a leader. I am a firm believer that “a leader should always engage to avoid disappointing an employee”.

Once you accept the role of a leader, you have either inherited certain generic dogmas or created new ones. These dogmas become the expectations of your followers. A common dogma new leaders face, is that a notable change will be introduced by the incoming leader. However, Great leaders can effectively shape and define beliefs by clearly articulating a vision, positively channeling a direction & profoundly living by them. In that context there is no room for disappointment as the leader embodies all expectation he or she sets. Here are 3 ideas / concepts that can corroborate why Leadership & Disappointment are like opposite sides of a battery and why they should never meet:

1-     The Leader is a Parent Figure: No one is put on a higher pedestal than the one a child puts their parents on. As such, the disappointment of a parent weighs heavily on the child and usually lasts for a long time. The relationship between a follower and a leader is very similar. Followers mount leaders on high pedestals. Usually these foundations are shaped either by the vision and direction of the leader or some pre-established dogmas. A Leader has to live by the rules he/she has established or accepted to inherit. Disappointment will surely lead to collapse of the established foundation. This collapse can lead to lack of ownership and can cause employees to instantly dissociate from an organization. A behavior that is very similar to a disappointed family member.

2-     A Leader carries the strongest strand in a company’s DNA: It always amazes me how words of great leaders travel so fast and far into every corridor, every meeting room and almost every employee’s mind. They surface the most in meetings that are around setting direction or handling crisis. At times of crisis employees look for support and often that support comes from the words of their leader which shape their thinking. How often have you heard in a meeting “we cannot do that because Mr. Leader said.…”? Some even go to extremes and start every presentation with a quote, others use these words as the only support for the decision being taken. This strong DNA is creating mini clones of thoughts and actions across the organization. Disappointment will surely cause derailment and the magnitude of this derailment will directly be correlated to the magnitude of the disappointment.

3-     “Walk The Talk”: As mentioned earlier, leaders should shape and define the beliefs by clearly articulating a vision, positively channeling a direction & most importantly profoundly living by them. Disappointment fundamentally occurs when a leader doesn’t walk the talk. That is why leaders should not merely live by their beliefs but be obsessed by them. It is critical that employees/followers visibly see a leader living and acting by these beliefs. The purpose is to root out any doubt that can create disappointment & ensure the DNA is never derailed. Great leaders are aware that it is almost impossible to come back once you disappoint because the fall from a high pedestal is too damaging. As such it is critical that leaders actually take deliberate action to walk the talk. This creates security in the employees and helps balance expectations. As William Shakespeare said “expectation is the root of all heartache”.

Then how does a leader make tough decisions that can go against expectations?

If put in a position of dilemma the leader must always take the path that will benefit the organization & its employees even if that path does not protect the original foundations the leader established. In my view, great leaders reshape the pedestal and go through a process of engagement that offers explanation to the change in direction. Engagement can be accomplished either directly or through their closest circle. Every great leader should build the ability to make unpopular decisions while ensuring that along the way they do not disappoint but rather engage their followers so they understand the need for the evolution. To have an effective engagement the leader must first have engaged employees.

New ideas & decisions are much better executed and accepted by actively engaged personal. If an organization or a leader is able to make a higher percent of their employees either engaged or actively engaged, then there will be a higher level of understanding and much lower risk of disappointment. Actually, disappointment will be completely routed out but rather substituted by an accepted short term Sour Pill.

In my experience, a leader can achieve actively engaged employees through the 3 pillars of engagement: TRUST; ENABLE; INCLUDE. 

1.     TRUST

If trust is well established, transparency & straight talk prevail in a culture. Here are question a leader can use to asses if trust exists:

a-     Is my behavior creating tension among the teams?

b-     Do I encourage the employees to openly discuss problems or do I create fear?

c-     Are the employees empowered to make decisions?

d-     Am I micromanaging and questioning to a level where autonomy doesn’t exist?

2.     INCLUDE

A feeling of belonging is the backbone of ownership. Great leaders know that if you can establish ownership then the individual & teams’ effectiveness catapults. Below are ideas how to build a sense of inclusion:

a.     Team is aware of direction.

b.     Accountability clearly communicated.

c.      Expectations are clear & measureable.

d.     Performance reviews are not ignored.

e.     Empathy prevails.

f.       Success celebrated and shared.

3.     ENABLE

An employee can feel trusted & included but without skills and knowledge they will be AWARE but not engaged (illustrated in diagram). Below are just few tips on enabling:

a.     Culture of enabling before any assignment/change is dominant.

b.     Development plan is transparent and communicated.

c.      Progress is acknowledged.

d.     Delegation is mastered.

In conclusion, a leader should never disappoint their employees but always try to make the best decisions for company and people. A leader can build a higher level of understanding by making an effort to ensure their employees are actively engaged. After all, engaging with an actively engaged team is much more effective, requires less effort & is significantly more rewarding.

My writings are purely based on readings, experience & knowledge acquired over the years… I like to create engagement through these articles between managers & leaders who have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share. Please challenge and share your thoughts and ideas on these articles. Follow me to contribute to future articles & engage in healthy debates…