Destruc(ve Leadership: Why Does It Occur and What Can We Do About It? Daniel L. LeBreton, Ph.D. & E. Larry Newton, Ph.D.

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1 Destruc(ve Leadership: Why Does It Occur and What Can We Do About It? Daniel L. LeBreton, Ph.D. & E. Larry Newton, Ph.D.

2 Leadership AEributes Write down the FIVE most cri(cal aeributes or characteris(cs of effec(ve leaders 2

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10 The Example of Richard Nixon The Good List As Speaker of the Senate, led passage of 1957 Civil Rights Bill Kitchen debate with Khrushchev in 1959 Designed and introduced the New Federalism which gave states rights and power over desegrega(on The Clean Air Act, which established the EPA and the Department of Natural Resources Achieved peace with North Vietnam in 1973 Opened up China and first U.S. President to visit Restarted the SALT talks with the Soviet Union leading to reduc(on in tensions and threat levels Supported NASA in ge`ng to the moon 10

11 The Example of Richard Nixon The Problem List Tricky Dick appella(on awarded in 1949 for having distorted (to his favor) the vo(ng record of his opponent Known to be suspicious of people not a person one could get close to Seen as quirky, unusual, prickly; not seen as a likeable person; someone easy for people to be (at best) ambivalent about 11

12 The Example of Richard Nixon Watergate Scandal Dragged on in public arena for two plus years AEempted to subvert the law by refusing to hand over subpoenaed informa(on and by ordering the firing of the Special Prosecutor Crucible became red- hot when the taping system he installed provided the evidence that he had obstructed jus(ce in the Watergate inves(ga(on With impeachment imminent and assured, he resigned 12

13 The Example of Richard Nixon The People Around Him AEracted followers through his support of the Civil Rights Act, introducing the Clean Air Act, ending the Vietnam War, and his leadership in foreign affairs (which reduced tensions and threat of war) His wife, Pat, was a public person and staunch defender. She was also an informal ambassador and advocate for educa(on. She opened the White House for tours and earned much public support People of note, such as Robert Bork and Henry Kissinger, gave their unqualified support to him Outside detractors, such as Woodward and Bernstein, pushed forward accusa(ons and inves(ga(ons 13

14 The Richard Nixon Example The Situa(on That na(on was weary (e.g., seeming intractability of civil rights issues, fear of tensions with Soviets, uncertainty with China, the Vietnam War); the Watergate fight was frequently in the press for two years it was ugly and people could feel the ugly Immense amount of power and reputa(on at stake 14

15 The Elizabeth Example Senior Vice President of a large big- box retailer College graduate Successful 30+ year career with a single employer Successful family and personal life Recognized with awards for community leadership and for being a role model 15

16 The Elizabeth Example Her Normal and healthy personality Good personal adjustment (no clinical issues or even notable subclinical issues) Above average intelligence and reasoning skills Somewhat ambiguous leadership prac(ces Courageous, strategic, crea(ve, compe((ve, hands- on Micromanages, low empathy, low empowerment of others, strong desire for approval from people in posi(ons of authority 16

17 The Elizabeth Example The People Around Her People around her respect her Mixed percep(ons and endorsements from her team Groomed by boss as successor 17

18 The Elizabeth Example The Situa(on Her results are good but not great CEO re(res, new CEO (from outside the company) brought in Her boss re(res, she does not get the promo(on Pressure on her and her division 18

19 Ques(ons What did we hear about leadership? What didn t we hear? What does leadership involve? How do you define it? As we discuss these examples, what points are relevant for you? 19

20 Defining Leadership Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser (2007) Influencing individuals to forego, for a limited (me, their [individual] short- term interests and contribute to long- term group goals within an environmental or situa(onal context (Padilla, Hogan, & Kaiser, 2007; p. 178). 20

21 Defining Destruc(ve Leadership Process Perspec(ve Padilla, et. al. (2007) Outcome Perspec(ve Certain leadership processes are more apt to produce nega(ve outcomes than others 21

22 Defining Destruc(ve Leadership Padilla, et. al. (2007) Defining Characteris(cs Results are generally mixed The process has a selfish orienta(on The results generally diminish the quality of life of cons(tuents Destruc(ve results are generally the consequences of a combina(on of destruc(ve leaders, suscep(ble followers, and conducive environments 22

23 The Toxic Triangle Padilla, et. al. (2007) 23

24 Destruc(ve Leaders: Tradi(onal Case Padilla, et. al. (2007) Charisma Personalized Power Narcissism Nega(ve Life Themes Ideology of Hate 24

25 Destruc(ve Leaders: Absent Leader Case Indecisive/Overly Cau(ous Withdrawn/Avoidant Deferen(al Full of Empty Mo(on 25

26 Conformers Defini(on Suscep(ble Followers Padilla, et. al. (2007) Tolerate bad leadership, conform out of fear Characteris(cs Unmet needs (e.g., job stability, money) Low core self- evalua(ons Low psychological maturity 26

27 Colluders Defini(on Suscep(ble Followers Padilla, et. al. (2007) Ac(vely support the leader Characteris(cs Ambi(on Similar worldview Bad values 27

28 Conducive Environments Padilla, et. al. (2007) Instability Perceived threat Cultural values Lack of checks & balances 28

29 Jus(fying Destruc(ve Behavior Moral Ra(onaliza(on (Tsang, 2002) Allows people to convince themselves that their unethical choice is consistent with moral standards (Tsang, 2002; p. 34). Why? Cogni(ve dissonance desire to be consistent (Fes(nger, 1957) Self- affirma(on desire to be good (Steele, 1988) 29

30 Jus(fying Destruc(ve Behavior (Tsang, 2002) Distor(ng the ac(on Advantageous comparison Displacement of responsibility Diffusion of responsibility Blaming/dehumanizing vic(ms Distor(ng consequences 30

31 Jus(fying Destruc(ve Behavior Shrinking the Leader Side of the Toxic Triangle 31

32 BREAK (30 minutes) 32

33 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders Selec(on The Process (Binning & BarreE, 1989) Define the performance domain Iden(fy key KSATOs Assess candidates KSATOs Select good- fit candidates and avoid poor- fit candidates The Tradi(onal Content Intelligence, cri(cal thinking skills, and objec(vity (Schmidt & Hunter, 2004) Personality characteris(cs (Judge, Bono, Ilies, & Gerhardt, 2002) Character and consistency (Hogan & Hogan, 2001) 33

34 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders Selec(on Locus of control (Kish- Gephart, Harrison, & Trevino, 2010) Implicit leadership theories (Lord, Fo(, & DeVader, 1984) 34

35 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders Development Based upon Resonant Leadership model (McKee, Boyatzis, & Johnston, 2008) Here to There Coaching Model Begin with the end (There) Confront the reality of today (Here) What do Here and There look like? Set goals and do the work necessary to get from Here to There (To) 35

36 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders Virtue- Based Leadership (VBL) Develop a Virtue Lens of leadership The High Six Virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) 36

37 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders The High Six Courage Inten(onally se`ng aside security, comfort, and complacency; doing the right thing, even when much must be risked Wisdom Acquiring and u(lizing knowledge to accomplish good Humanity Entering into and sustaining caring rela(onships with others Jus(ce Exercising a shared understanding of fairness, such as equity Temperance Denying oneself in ways that are ul(mately generous to oneself and others Transcendence A felt sense of connec(on to something greater than oneself; a sense of purpose and meaning 37

38 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders The High Six 38

39 Interven(on: Destruc(ve Leaders Leveraging the High Six Select leaders with desirable traits and characteris(cs Develop leadership perspec(ves and behavioral paeerns consistent with the High Six Do not treat the High Six as compensatory Focus on balanced and well- integrated expressions of virtue 39

40 Leadership AEributes Revisited Re- evaluate the list of aeributes you created at the beginning of this session and make any changes you see fit. Are there any aeributes or characteris(cs you would now take off your list? Any you would add? 40

41 Interven(on: Suscep(ble Followers Using the Elizabeth Example Selec(on Difficulty recrui(ng top talent (industry aware of tension within the division) Upgrading the hiring criteria 41

42 Interven(on: Suscep(ble Followers Using the Elizabeth Example Promo(ng a Healthy Culture Reinforce collabora(on and employee empowerment Reward leaders for developing team members 42

43 Interven(on: Conducive Environments Using the Elizabeth Example Checks and Balances Elizabeth and her team create accountability structures for team mee(ngs and interac(ons Team is empowered to call her out when she slips Values Alignment and Promo(on Values are stated and defined Values are used as a touchstone and anchor for changes being made AErac(on- Selec(on- AEri(on model 43

44 Interven(on: Conducive Environments Using the Elizabeth Example Top- Down Culture Development Elizabeth is a SVP and division leader She is the focal point of the effort coached by internal and external consultants 44

45 Interven(on: Ecological Perspec(ve/ Systems Approach Systems Approach (Senge, 1990) Set of interlocking principles and behaviors that result in fairly predictable outcomes Systems Thinking Shared Vision Mental Models Personal Mastery Team Learning 45

46 Interven(on: Ecological Perspec(ve/ Systems Approach Systems are more powerful than individuals Systems favor the status quo Systems frequently derail behavior change aeempts 46

47 Interven(on: Ecological Perspec(ve/ Systems Approach Achieving change in a system Work at all levels to get the system to own and build upon the change Vision ownership Self- management prac(ces for teams and individuals Reframing leadership behaviors to match strategy and vision Healthy consequences (change is not an op(on) Celebrate success share the learning, memorialize healthy change (stories of success); feedback loops 47

48 Tying It All Together The system influenced Elizabeth away from her natural strengths and toward nega(ve prac(ces Vision for a new way of working was co- created with her team Core leadership prac(ces were iden(fied to keep focus on development and posi(on it as learning Coaching used to increase personal mastery for Elizabeth Elizabeth s team empowered to provide feedback and to engage in gap- explora(ons in search of solu(ons Everyone winning (achieving parts of their vision/ mo(va(on) builds momentum to sustain learning 48

49 Summary Destruc(ve leaders owen create destruc(ve results Toxic systems can pollute good leaders Most effec(ve change occurs at the system level rather than at the individual level The system improves as the right people are brought into the organiza(on (in leader and follower roles), virtue is promoted, and VBL behaviors are developed and reinforced Balance and integra(on of VBL prac(ces are cri(cal 49

50 Ques(on & Answer Daniel L. LeBreton, Ph.D. rock.com E. Larry Newton, Ph.D. rock.com rock.com hep://blog.peter- rock.com 50

51 Bibliography Binning, J. F. & Barrett, G. V. (1989). Validity of personnel decisions: A conceptual analysis of the inferential and evidential bases. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, Collins, J. (2001). Level 5 leadership. Good to great (pp ). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. McKee, A., Boyatzis, R., & Johnston, F. (2008). Becoming a resonant leader. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Padilla, A., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, R. B. (2007). The toxic triangle: Destructive leaders, susceptible followers, and conducive environments. The Leadership Quarterly, 18, Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. U.S.A.: Doubleday. Sosik, J. J. (2006). Leading with character. USA: Information Age Publishing, Inc. Tsang, J. (2002). Moral rationalization and the integration of situational factors and psychological processes in immoral behavior. Review of General Psychology, 6,

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