Another Poor Leadership Technique to Avoid

I have witnessed adult leaders that ignore followers that don't do what they want. Let me expand on that a bit.

This person did not clarify what they wanted sufficiently, leaving confusion in the follower. Perhaps this leader thought the person would read their mind. Later, when what was delivered was not what was desired, this particular leader avoided talking about the gap directly with the person, but started working through others instead. Ignoring people when they don't perform exactly as expected is a failing of the leader, not the follower. This leader's history is to gradually work around the person that did not hit the unclear mark until they are reassigned.

Leaders are paid in companies to clarify what they expect and to provide feedback to followers that miss their expectations. In organizations where pay is not relevant, it is still the leader's responsibility to clarify what is expected. It is a leadership responsibility to clearly articulate expectations and to ensure understanding. Of course, the level of follower modifies this somewhat. If the follower is a high level leader too, there is an expectation that not everything should be spelled out in great detail. This is a balance.

Some adults find providing direct face to face feedback difficult to do. Some perceive this leadership task as confrontational and avoid it altogether. This response is not effective leadership. This does not coach the person so they improve, making the organization stronger. It leaves followers wondering what is going on.

Don't do this with other adult followers, and especially don't do this with children. Children need direct and specific feedback when they miss the mark so they can learn how to improve. Children need encouragement. So do adult volunteers. Frankly, employees could use some too, but this is often not the case.