Effective CEOs are Path-finders, not Fault-finders

CEOs are expected to supervise and take stock of the performance of employees periodically. One-to-one physical interactions, phone calls, review meetings etc. are some occasions and ways CEOs update themselves on work front.

During such interactions, many a times, they communicate with a mindset to “command and control” employees, and other stakeholders as well. A traditional approach, control and command leadership is common amongst CEOs to manage people and pursue business goal. However, this approach, deployed excessively, often degenerates into pervasive fault-finding pattern or habit.

Fault-finding habit gets manifested through various mannerisms. Here are some signs, patterns or indicators:

• Constantly picking holes: Raising eyebrows and criticizing people on seemingly minor issues. Focus on mistakes or flaws.
• Asking too many questions: Exhibiting as “hands-on approach”, they engage in bombarding questions, that quite often are trivial, inconsequential or frivolous.
• Keep trying to prove others wrong: Putting others/the team on the defensive is seen as a victory. Being right is always seen as being effective.
• Not listening. Not being open to inputs, feedback or suggestions. Even minor ideas are not accepted. Not sharing credit.
• Showing off own expertise: Demonstrating knowledge on every matter. Looking for slightest opportunity to give sermons.

Fault-finding habit by business leaders is a serious folly. It not only diminishes peoples’ self-confidence and saps their initiative but also stifles their ability to think for themselves. It projects the leaders in poor light, as insecure leaders, as someone who can’t trust others to get it right because they are unsure how to monitor their performance. Moreover, the style distracts them from focusing on larger issues.

Surely, CEOs need follow-through actions. Calibrating people, monitoring performance or assessing progress on ongoing measures and projects are required to ensure timely execution and outcomes. But what is important for them is to learn to carry out such actions with right intent and in the right manner. Questioning, for instance, is important, but providing context, purpose, rationale before quizzing helps. Right and incisive questions with depth give the leaders authority and credibility. In fact, the questions and interactions, done thoughtfully, always help people connect with the leaders, and learn from their insights.

Fault-finding disempowers people 

Fault-finding intimidates people and increases their anxieties and insecurities, leading to their disconnect with their bosses showing such traits. Shifting attention from real issue at hand to hurt ego, it reduces the capacity of people to adapt and grow to handle new challenges or meet targets. With such fault-finding pattern pronounced in the managers and leaders, the review meetings lose flow, focus and direction, and even cause the participants to question the bosses’ lack of self-assurance and preparedness for the meetings. Further, as an dis-empowering ‘tool’, the habit sends a wrong signal among people across divisions and units within the organization. All this takes a toll on the level of performance of people and adversely affects team spirit.

Fault-finding vitiates work-culture 

Fault finding may give short-term result at times, but the habit can’t be a sustainable template for effective leadership. Obviously, when an eye to recognize people’s strength is missing and the ability and patience to spot real weakness in the system are weak, both the people-management process and productivity suffers. Further, being a reflection on poor work-culture, such traits on the part of business heads also put image and reputation of an organization at risk. Talent flight and attrition follow.

Effective CEOs are focused on finding solutions 

Obsession with fault-finding can blind business heads to the benefits in dropping this pernicious habit. Interestingly though, when the bosses have less worry about controlling others, they can find, to their pleasant surprise, that their subordinates are more interested in following them. Less controlled team becomes more-empowered one. It is a misconception that relinquishing command energy mean creating a culture of irresponsibility. On the contrary, it can foster a healthy and inspiring culture of self-responsibility.

Effective business leaders don’t preach people what to do. Instead, they figure out what they need to do, as individuals and as a team. They help coalesce individual energies in collective momentum- moving people from where they are, to where they have the potential to be. Seeking systemic feedback in their personal and professional environment, such leaders spend their energies in fixing the problems, through own and shared insights.

Investing in the process of coaching, passing on their learned experiences, educating employees to think in ways they never thought before, successful CEOs make a mark on people and at work. Far from stifling people by becoming fault-finders, they become solution-seekers, and path-finders. This way, they not only expand the capacity of people to grow but, in the process, also expand their own capabilities for leading.

Written by Ram Krishna Sinha.

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