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In a speech I give on occasion, I talk about the fact that Leaders are Always being Watched for the signals they send on how to act and what behavior they want to see modeled in the organization. Sometimes they are observed acting in a way they wish they wouldn’t. Recently one of the folks I was coaching talked about seeing their boss rip into some younger employees who hadn’t delivered the quality of work that was needed in a highly important presentation. This was on a conference call with about four other leaders.
The boss coming a little unglued didn’t typically act that way and certainly in a group setting. For whatever reason they lost their cool in a forum that sent a confusing message about style was appropriate in the organization.
The person I was working with was struggling with what and how they might say to their boss to give some perspective on what happened and figuring out what to take from that meeting. In their personal experience they had never been dressed down by their boss in that fashion. If anything the boss was a good supportive teacher. While the critique to the employees was accurate the intensity of the feedback in that wider group was demoralizing and temporarily brought the meeting to a halt.
We discussed what a private feedback conversation would sound like and how it could strengthen the relationship with the boss and show support. They talked and the boss thanked them for reminding them of how they wanted to show up for the organization. Staying true to the culture of the team.
Leadingauthentically.com
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