Even more serious than the existence of really ineffective leaders is the absence of excellent leaders. Too often organizations assume that those who are good leaders are in fact exceptional leaders. There is a substantial difference. Imagine the extremely positive outcomes that our model describes—productivity, customer satisfaction, retention, innovation and profitability, and a stronger culture—that could have been present if the leaders had been more effective.
Excellent leadership and bad leadership both cascade down the organization like a virus. Poor leaders create dissatisfied employees, who make extremely ineffective leaders themselves, and who, in turn, create a large number of dissatisfied employees. However, exceptional leaders do just the opposite.
The solution should be clear: Invest in effective leadership development. The best organizations realize that one day or even a week-long development experience will not change the effectiveness of a leader for life. It works best as a continuous and ongoing process, and it also needs to be occurring for a large percentage of the leadership group.
Download the infographic to learn more about the impact of great leadership on teams and organizations.
