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2016-02-25 11:03:41
Ron Carucci
February 09, 2016
When mountaineers ascend rapidly to very high altitudes, they sometimes suffer
from a condition called acute mountain sickness. The severe nausea and
headaches are much like a bad hangover, but left unaddressed, can be
debilitating and even fatal.
In more than 30 years of consulting with senior executives, I ve also witnessed
a kind of high altitude sickness among executives who rise quickly in
organizations. Upon arrival into the executive ranks, they seem disoriented,
unable to adapt, catch their breath, and acclimate to the new environment.
We ve known for decades that between 50-70% of executives fail within 18 months
of their appointment. Our research set out to uncover what problems undermined
otherwise promising executives upon arrival into the highest organizational
altitudes. In more than 2,700 comprehensive interviews in 148 organizations
ranging in size from $50M family owned to $120B Fortune 10, we isolated clear
patterns that enabled effective executives to sidestep the common pitfalls of
newly minted executives.
Fifty-four percent of our respondents said they did not have realistic
expectations of what an executive role would entail. We discovered a host of
destabilizing factors, but four derailers in particular appeared almost
immediately upon arrival, distorting reality for new executives. The executives
who managed to get through the difficult transition period and ultimately
succeed, however, prepared carefully and found ways to work around them. Here s
how they did it:
1. Avoid a larger-than-life persona by defining your image. As leaders rise,
others perceive them differently. Because of the public way their leadership
plays out before thousands, they take on a celebrity status where others become
fascinated by all they do. Some will revere a new executive while others will
fear them. Because the demands of executive roles make them less accessible,
people fill in the resulting voids with stories of their own. Many senior
executives have been surprised when they realize people are making stuff up
about them. By virtue of their expanded role, a leader s presence is felt no
matter how distant they are. This is in part due to the phenomenon of
embodiment. Sitting atop a function or business, leaders embody their
organization. If they lead Marketing, to the rest of the organization, they are
Marketing.
Leaders must avoid having others completely define them, preventing a default
persona from becoming how people know them. The higher up a leader rises, the
more their reputation matters, and the further outside their direct control it
becomes. It takes on a life of its own, entering rooms before leaders do. Their
name will be bandied about across the company and on the lips of people they ve
never spoken to. Forty-two percent of our respondents indicated they felt
people ascribed motives to their choices that were inconsistent with actual
motives. When leaders know others are misperceiving them, they must have the
courage to confront outright fabrications. They must also humbly take
responsibility for perceptions their actions may have provoked before others
have the chance to broadcast distorted views to wider audiences.
2. Neutralize the megaphone effect by crafting purposeful messages. The same
applies to leaders words: not only is how they re seen distorted, everything
they say is given exaggerated importance. Executives must accept they now speak
through a bullhorn 24/7. Their verbal and behavioral messages are amplified the
moment they step into an elevated role. A newly appointed executive I worked
with found people trying to read the future from his casual remarks: I m just
trying to make small talk in the elevator and they re looking at me like the
Prophet Elijah. Every time I open my mouth someone attaches meaning to it. I
keep hearing Bill said. People are attributing things to me I not only never
said, but never even thought.
There is no small talk at the top of organizations. While leaders should not
become stiff and formal, they must remain mindful of how people experience
them. They must be clear about intentions and precise in communication. One
respondent aptly said, Never take the impact of your position for granted.
Comments, suggestions, even audible pauses, hold much more weight and meaning
now. Measured actions and words become more critical when their reach is
extended. New executives must resist the temptation to prove themselves with
impulsive words and actions that come back to haunt them; instead, minimize the
risk by taking extra time to form your views and express your thoughts with
precision and genuineness.
3. Don t resent sifted data, learn to work with it. It is quite common for new
executives to find that their access to unfiltered information dries up the
moment they re elevated into a new role. A newly appointed head of R&D was
troubled to notice how information he d previously enjoyed free access to
suddenly waned upon his promotion. People he d relied on for the truth seemed
to react differently now, and couch information in ways to avoid conflict or
curry favor.
Information is a currency of influence in organizations. Whether or not it is
safe to offer executives truthful information depends on how leaders react to
unvarnished information harsh reactions will lead to carefully sifted data.
Once a leader s trustworthiness to handle the truth is established, they will
get increasingly complete data, though they should never expect access to all
data they once enjoyed. Leaders must be up front with information needs,
mindful of people s concerns, and above all, consistent in their style to avoid
unintended mixed signals. Inconsistency is what creates fears that drive data
sifting. Inviting hard truths and handling them with grace and honesty will
increase your access to the intel you need to lead well.
4. Embrace the aliens next door. But perhaps the greatest distortions of all
occur in close relationships. Relationships once characterized by comfortable
familiarity now seem alien and others reactions confusing: former peers become
direct reports, or at least remain at lower levels, while former superiors
become the new peer set. Fifty-one percent of our respondents indicated that
the politics at higher levels made it difficult to trust their new peers.
Executives should proceed with the assumption that things will never be the
same despite inwardly feeling that I m still the same person.
Successful executives make a conscious effort to reset boundaries in redefined
relationships. They deliberately discuss things such as new priorities,
accessibility, information flow, and mutual expectations of influence and
confidentiality. It may feel awkward, but by resetting these boundaries leaders
send clear signals about your desire for a trusting relationship, and avoids
disappointing others privately held expectations.
Though altitudinal distortions are unavoidable when rising in organizations,
how an executive responds is within their control, and done well, can
accelerate your early wins. Anticipate these four awaiting distortions, and you
can translate their potentially derailing consequences into success.
Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs
and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations,
leaders, and industries. He is the best-selling author of eight books,
including the recent Amazon #1 Rising to Power. Connect with him on Twitter at
@RonCarucci.