How power is lost
In a general sense power is lost because organizations change and
leaders don't. Organizational dynamics create complex conditions and
different decision situations that require innovative and creative
approaches, new skill sets and new dependent and
interdependent relationships. Leaders who have learned to do things a
specific way become committed to predictable choices and decision
actions. They remain bonded and loyal to highly developed social
networks and friendships, failing to recognize
the need for change, let alone allocating the political will to
accomplish it. Ultimately, power may be lost because of negative
personal attributes that diminish a leader's capacity to lead with power
effectively. The SLDI identifies a number of
negative attributes that when linked to certain organizational
dynamics will generate potential loss of power:
- Technically Incompetent describes leaders who lack the conceptual skills needed to develop vision and be proactive in managing organizational change.
- Self-Serving/Unethical leaders abuse power and
use it for their own self aggrandizement, take special privileges, and
exploit peers and subordinates by taking credit for contributions done
by others. Self-serving leaders contaminate
the ethical climate by modeling power-oriented behavior that
influences others to replicate their behavior. Over the long run, these
leaders engender divisiveness and are not trusted.
- Micromanagement of subordinates destroys
individual and team motivation. Leaders who over-supervise their
subordinates have strong control needs, are generally risk averse and
lack conceptual understanding of power sharing and subordinate
development.
- Arrogant leaders are impressed with their own
self-importance, and talk down to both peers and subordinates thereby
alienating them. If empowering others is about releasing purposeful and
creative energy, arrogance produces a negative
leadership climate that suppresses the power needs of others.
Arrogant leaders make it almost impossible for subordinates to acquire
power as a means to improve their own performance as well as to seek new
ways to learn and grow.
- Explosive and Abusive leaders are likely to be
"hot reactors" who use profanity excessively, have inadequate control of
temper, and abuse subordinates. They may also lack the self-control
required to probe for in-depth understanding
of complex problems and so may consistently solve them at a
superficial level. Explosive and abusive leaders may self-destruct
repeatedly in coalition building and negotiating situations.
- Inaccessible leaders
are out of touch with their subordinates particularly when they need
access for assistance. Peers typically "write the individual off".
Leaders are generally inaccessible because they don't place great value
on
building interpersonal relationships, they may have weak
interpersonal skills or they may be self-centered.