Ken's Story: A Wake-Up Call for Leaders
Ken, before embarking on his official leave, told his boss, "When I get back, I need to talk to you." He was going on vacation, and his boss, curious, demanded he share what the talk would be about before he left the office. Then Ken dropped the bombshell: "I'm leaving the company."
"Why are you leaving?" asked his boss.
He reminded his boss of all their disagreement throughout the years.
For about half an hour they kept going back and forth the boss explained why he disagreed on that occasion he was trying to convince him
Then he finally said
The truth is that you're never going to let me make decisions
For some reason, the boss started crying
After much reflection, the boss figured out why he had a toxic boss and he promised himself he was going to do better when he became a boss but somehow he found himself becoming the boss he never wanted to become
He took it upon himself to go into what i call the "therapy of work"—learning core leadership skills.
You never get to know how bad you are as a leader until someone spots your mask.
Often, our mask is fear. We fear failure, so we micromanage, preventing others from growing. As a result, we are like small gods surrounded by weak mortals who admire us. In the end, we all suffer.
The smart ones spot it and leave
The weak ones stay and waste their years
Or one day we have a team member like Ken who forces us to dig deeper and go for therapy
I have much respect for Ken very few have the guts to engage in hard conversations like he did but that's what stands the best of us out at work.
Could you reflect on your leadership style? Are you empowering your team or holding them back with micromanagement? Take a moment to evaluate and seek growth. Embrace the therapy of work and develop core leadership skills. Let’s create a workplace where everyone thrives, not just survives.
Action Steps:
Self-Assessment: Regularly evaluate your leadership approach and seek feedback from your team.
Training: Invest in leadership training and development programs.
Empowerment: Delegate tasks and trust your team to make decisions.
Open Dialogue: Foster an environment where team members feel safe to voice their concerns.
Let’s commit to being the leaders.
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