Bad Apples Must Go

During my Executive Coaching experiences I have had a wide variety of talents to work with in the C-Suite. One particular talent in the insurance industry lacked significant self-awareness as to the impact their leadership was having on hurting the very function they were hired to lead. I was brought in to help the talent have a real look in the mirror to help them improve.  

After making it clear to the CEO that the message needed to first come from the CEO we scheduled an initial visit. At that time we kicked off a 360 review of this leaders peers and direct reports to help create a picture of the current reality. The challenge was that this leader had been very successful throughout his career in a variety of roles both in and out of his current industry. He had illustrated the capacity to flex and perform in many environments. He had led teams slightly smaller than the current team of several hundred under his charge.  

The challenge here following the 360 was helping the leader see that the perceptions of his peers, manager, and team were far below his own perceptions of self. His successful patterns of the past were failing him in the new context. As we sat down to discuss the issues, it became more and more clear that he was not willing to accept the feedback and wanted to push the blame outward to others. This issue surprisingly is rather common the higher up a leader moves in an organization.  

Self-awareness is the secret sauce of leadership. The first pinnacle in the mountains a leader must climb is the true understanding of how their leadership is being received. In this case the leader was unwilling to accept the feedback and eventually washed out of the organization. To the relief of his peers and team, a new leader was identified that had the ability to see their impact on teams and the function. 

The value provided to this client helped the organization remove a toxic leader and bring in a person that fit more completely with the culture and aspirations for the organization. This alignment brought a dynamic to the Executive team that improved their team effectiveness. Removing one bad apple, sometimes saves the bushel.   

Summits of success:

1. From the beginning through the sunset of a career leaders must welcome feedback
2. Leaders that know themselves, can better respond to the ever-changing conditions and adapt
3. A 360 every 18–24 months gives a leader the opportunity to adjust and improve

For more career tips and coaching, visit www.myjobjump.com.