The recent behaviour of leaders in the private and public sectors greatly harmed the already unsteady foundation of trust that South African citizens have in those who claim to have their best interests at heart. Suddenly it is not only government that can be blamed for the state of affairs.
In fact, several corporate entities have also gained first-hand experience of the devastating impact of what Warren Buffet positioned as: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.". South Africans feel betrayed, deceived and manipulated like never before by those walking in front. When one analyses this more closely, it is clear that some of these leaders displayed narcissistic characteristics by being self-promoting, having a sense of entitlement and not owning up to and taking responsibility for their role in authorising poor or unethical decisions. The Tarzan leaders Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists, says many narcissists are charming and seem visionary, but they also have a false sense of importance and are self-serving and entitled. It does not take long before the trust people have in a leader, who is overly preoccupied with him- or herself and their own interests, disappears. “They never own up to mistakes, never apologise, are quick to blame others and to praise themselves. In fact, such a person does not shy away from taking the credit even though it is not due.” When things are running smoothly their language is lavishly sprinkled with “Me” and “I”, but when problems arise the conversation becomes a finger-pointing exercise of “You” and “Them”. This Tarzan-like behaviour (declaring himself the king of the jungle) is however often a mask or persona to compensate for a deep sense of insecurity. The Humble leaders Scherrer says mature leaders have a large dose of humility. They do not put themselves above what needs to be done. President Cyril Ramaphosa eloquently demonstrated some of this when he referred to the words of the Hugh Masekela song, Thuma Mina (Send Me). “A humble leader takes responsibility for his actions, admits when he has made a mistake, and does not only focus on his own interests,” says Scherrer. In fact, a humble leader looks to himself first when trying to understand when things go wrong, but reflects on the actions of others when credit is due. Humble leaders do not abuse authority and are willing to serve others first. Their language has phrases such as “We” and “Us” and they insist on honest and direct conversations with clear commitments to a shared vision. Former president Nelson Mandela remains an impeccable example of a humble leader. He is quoted as saying that “there is nothing to popularize a person. Only humility, which is the ability to remain in the background and to put others in the front light”. The Complex leaders South Africa requires “complex” leaders who are Competent; innOvative; Mature; emPathetic; ethicaL; connEcted and fleXible. True complex leaders have an acute awareness of their limitations and do not try to disguise it for the benefit of the audience. They realise that ignoring their own weaknesses will lead to inevitable failure. In the VUCA-world we live in, the complex leader will ensure organisations and state entities answer volatility with vision; uncertainty with understanding; complexity with clarity; and ambiguity with agility. Getting it right According to Scherrer it is difficult to rebuild trust in an organisation or state entity if the leader displays narcissistic tendencies. Trust is based on integrity and strengthened when leaders admit and take ownership of mistakes, something narcissists do not even contemplate doing. Therefore, it is necessary to get it right from the start. “When appointing people, make sure the charisma is not narcissism in disguise. It is essential to implement a scientific selection process and validate references,” says Scherrer. Listen for clues in the examples used in interviews, and to what extent organisational achievements and success are attributed to the self. She adds that when people are promoted from within the ranks it is critical to continuously evaluate performance in an objective manner and not fall into the trap of ignoring the “red flags” that are inevitably already visible, even if perhaps well managed. Having more power will expose true character, so if someone is already entitled, self-centred and arrogant when they are supposed to follow, don’t be fooled to think it will become less when they lead. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group
0 Comments
Like a disease silently spreading through the body, the impact that toxic people can have on an organisation is generally only noticed when it is too late. However, Renate Scherrer, MD of JvR Consulting, warns that although toxicity is contagious, it is not as visible as incidents of fraud or physical and verbal abuse.
Snakes in Suits Scherrer also refers to the Snakes in Suits as “corporate psychopaths”. Statistics show that as many as 4% of people in more senior positions in business display the characteristics which is associated with these workplace psychopaths. “They will undeniably be in the higher leadership positions. That is what they aim for and they are good at manipulating people to get there,” she says, adding that they are friendly with those who they consider to be part of their bigger plan, but will isolate and destroy those who stand in their way. Getting rid of the toxic leader Scherrer’s advice is not to appoint them in the first instance. “It is easier to ensure you have the right person, than to try and change them afterwards when they have already done a lot of damage.” However, once a toxic leader senses that the “tide is turning” against them, and they are to be exposed many tend to leave the company on their own accord. She says if complaints are stacking up, it is better to engage with the human resource department to follow due process in assisting the toxic leader to exit the organisation. Remaining impact on the team Scherrer says the new leader taking responsibility for the team that is left behind will have to distance him/her from the way things were done in the past. It is vital to set up new terms of engagement. “One cannot ignore what has happened,” she adds. People need to have time to talk about it, and explain how certain actions or behaviour made them feel. “Employees also need to be honest about their role in what happened and how their actions may inadvertently have contributed to it”. She adds that they need to critically evaluate what behaviour they are perpetuating in the wake of the toxic leader. Remaining symptoms of toxicity, ie disengagement, hopelessness, burnout, distrust, low morale and decreased learning must be addressed constructively. How to rebuild the team? Scherrer says the new leader must be astute to the impact of his predecessor. “He will have to deal with the emotional content and contain it to prevent the toxicity from lingering.” Take a strong stand against any behaviour that is regarded as “the old way”. “The new way of doing things must be positioned at executive level and translated into a behavioural charter that everyone aligns to. It must be positively reinforced throughout the organisation. Empower people to become ambassadors of the new terms of engagement,” says Scherrer. Recovery plan Depending of the level of harm, there has to be a detailed “recovery plan” with formal sessions conducted by either internal or external experts to assist with enhancing individual and team resilience. It may require therapy for some team members or coaching and mentoring for others. Managers who were sandwiched between the toxic leader and resentful employees may be particularly vulnerable and susceptible to psychological harm. “We will always cross paths with toxic people. You need to enamour and protect yourself against them. Speak out when there is an opportunity to do so. In some instances, the toxicity is not intentional, and creating awareness may go a long way in addressing the issues proactively” says Scherrer. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
Welcome to the JvR Africa Group Newsroom.
Archives
August 2019
Categories
All
|