Last week, an ex-colleague reached out to have coffee with me. It was not a “social call.” My ex-colleague was troubled and wanted my advice.
During coffee, he lamented about the “poor quality” and “attitude” of his direct reports and how he could not get them to do what he wanted. He shared that they often disagreed with his instructions and would either openly tell him that they would not do what he asked, or they would agree and then ignore his instructions. It has gotten to the point that he has lost control of his unit with each Head of Department (HoD) doing whatever they wanted.
Having worked with him before, and still having ears in the organization, I knew exactly what the problem was — he has lost the respect of his HoDs as he practices favoritism.
I shared that if he could not get his direct reports to do what he wanted, then he should consider that perhaps the problem is not with them, but with him.
I added that leaders expect, even demand, that their leaders are principled, and the surest way to lose their respect is to practice favoritism. Favoritism destroys a leader’s ability to lead as it creates the conditions for: (a) double standards when it comes to the distribution of rewards and resources; (b) illogical decisions that side with the favorite at the…
