office@harshjohari.com  |   +91-9945533822

Challenges of highly successful leaders

One of the biggest challenges faced by highly successful leaders

This article is triggered at the back of a coaching conversation I had sometime back
My client is the CEO of a mid-sized conglomerate
She came into the conversation with a sense of frustration and self-doubt
“I am not sure if I am always taking the right decision” she said
I asked her, “Why do you say so?”
“Well, every time I propose something, everybody agrees with me” she continued
“How does this impact you?” I asked further
“I have no freaking idea whether my proposal is good or not, whether I am thinking in the right direction or not” she replied
Now this is not uncommon with highly successful leaders....
As you grow more and more senior and climb up the corporate ladder, you get surrounded by more and more people who say YES to you
The YES tribe
It does not matter what you say or what ideas you have
These people will always tend to agree with you and even add their 2 cents to reinforce your argument
They will very seldom have an independent opinion or a different perspective
Consequently, there are less and less people who challenge you and your thinking
And that is NOT a good sign
Why ?
Because this can limit your own growth as a leader
Because you are then thinking in isolation – it is a singular view most of the time, without any counter view points
This also means that you are missing a very essential element of personal growth – feedback
You may end up assuming that everything you do or say is right
And the more that happens, the more it reinforces your view that you are right – it could end up being a vicious circle of solo thinking, so much so that it could lead you to believe that you are always right
Now, this YES culture could happen due to several reasons such as :
..Your own leadership style
..People may be intimidated by your presence
..You may not have created a culture where people can speak up freely
..Sometimes, people around you may actually lack the capability to think beyond, which could mean you need to invest in building a stronger set of leaders under you
Whatever the reason is….
If your thinking is not challenged from time to time, you will not be able to develop new insights and perspectives to make better business decisions
Not only that, this may manifest and could impact personal relationships as well - unconsciously, you may end up trying to be right all the time
And this could strain your relationships
So just be watchful of this YES culture at workplace, your own role in promoting this culture and the impact this can have on your growth
Over to you now for your weekly reflection :
1) What makes you more comfortable - surrounded by YES people or by people who are ready to challenge your thinking ? 

2) How do you feel when someone challenges your idea ? 

3) How open are you to feedback ? How do you react when you get feedback ?
4) Do you always feel the need to be right ? What is really driving this need ? How does this impact people around you ?
5) When in doubt, whom do you turn to for advice ?
And ofcourse, if you do find yourself in this YES tribe situation and need to have a deeper conversation, drop me a note or book an exploratory call here (Book Your Call)

Comments

Leave a comment