Attributions

A CEO resigns or is sacked by the Board because the share price fell. Fair or unfair?
Another company struggles to perform, but the CEO is safe because the market is ’soft’.

A Football team underperforms - finishes too low on the table, and the Coach resigns or is sacked by the Club. Fair or unfair?
Another team finishes low on the table, but the Coach remains safe from dismissal, because the Club is ‘rebuilding’.

These scenarios describe ‘attributions’ - or explanations for why and how things happened. Making the leader the primary influencer of results is very easy - they are an easy target.

Through executive coaching, we know that of the 4 learning styles (reflecting, theorising, practising, doing), reflecting is the least used, most neglected.
We don’t spend energy looking beyond the simplistic attributions, and in many market situations, its very difficult to get the public to look beyond them either. So the leader is easy to either hero worship or demonise / blame.

The Romance of Leadership challenges the automatic reflex to attach all causes to the leader.
When you assess your own leadership, what do you take credit or blame for? what do you blame circumstances for?

Stay tuned…