Mind the Gap

I often see a dangerous gap between leadership and employees further down in an organization.

Leaders tell me they want their employees to demonstrate more ACCOUNTABILITY.

Employees tell me they want their leaders to give them more AUTONOMY.

Why the chasm between these two perspectives?

Situations vary, of course, and I’ve seen self-limiting behaviors from both sides:

> Leaders who are poor communicators, delegators, and coaches will struggle to see accountability in their people.

> Employees who are poor planners, executors, and learners will struggle to receive autonomy from their leaders.

Yet even otherwise strong leaders and followers have struggled this past year—why?

I believe that a big reason is TEMPO.

When the stakes are high, when the environment is fluid, and when we are digesting change in our organizations, everybody tends to move too quickly.

And when it comes to people, fast is slow and slow is fast.

Break the cycle today.

If you’re a leader, slow down and ask yourself how you can give autonomy—with boundaries—to expand the accountability you seek.

If you’re a follower, slow down and ask yourself how you can demonstrate accountability—with transparency—to expand the autonomy you seek.