Leadership Tip

How to eradicate complacency

There is no place for complacency in today's business environment. If your team or organisation becomes fat and happy with success, there is a good chance bad times are on the horizon. Complacency or, in other words, comfort with the status quo, can destroy a change initiative. How to identify complacency? Ask the following questions:

  1. Are highly selective facts used to shoot down data suggesting your firm's in big trouble?
  2. Do people bring up past failures to stall new initiatives rather than to learn?
  3. Do people say "We must act now!" but then don't do anything?
  4. Do cynical jokes pervade important discussions?
  5. Are assignments around critical issues frequently completed late or sloppily?
  6. Do people regularly blame others for the company's problems?

The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme and adapted from A Sense of Urgency by John Kotter. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.

Subscribe

Free weekly email on things you didn't know last week with links to articles on leadership excellence. To view previous editions click here.


Learn how to lead effectively

Gleaned from wisdom acquired by working with hundreds of highly successful leaders from the world of business, media and sport, our workshops are fortified with practical tips to help you better lead yourself, your team and your business.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 ways to build your team

Everyone would like to be part of a dream team - a group of people, each skilled in their own discipline, pulling together to achieve more than they ever could alone. Yet while most organisations talk about teamwork, they still tend to reward individual... read more

10 weekend habits of purposeful leaders

The most impactful leaders know that success doesn’t come from working around the clock - it comes from working with intention. And that includes how we spend our weekends. While weekdays often revolve around performance, the weekend is a chance to reset... read more

10 actions for effective communication

High-quality communication is an essential element in business and organisational performance. Effective communication relies on engaging with people, having a commitment to building strong and productive relationships and realising that we communicate... read more

Leadership Tips

How to lead without managing people

For decades, leadership and management were treated as the same thing. Climb the ladder, gain authority, manage a team. Yet increasingly, professionals are questioning whether managing people is the only path to influence and success. The reality is that... read more

How to turn adversity into advantage

Most CVs tell us what someone has done. The best tell us what they have overcome. Recently, I received a note from a reader who had stepped away from a successful career to raise children, support a husband overseas, nurse a loved one through terminal... read more

How to stay authentic under pressure

Whether in leadership or personal relationships, pressure has a habit of revealing who we really are. Uncertainty, criticism and emotional strain can easily push people into defensiveness, silence or reactions they later regret. Authenticity, however, is... read more