Leaders develop reputations that sometimes work against them.

Leaders who develop a negative reputation in the organization continually run up against a common problem - their words and actions are seen only through the lens of others negative perceptions of them. A few examples.

Dave has worked for a civilian agency for nearly ten years after having retired from the military. His reputation is that he's overbearing, domineering, and opinionated. Whenever he participates in meetings, his contributions are discounted with the explanation, "That's just Dave, he has to let you know how smart he is." Whatever he has to say is ignored.

Sean has worked on the same account for decades. His reputation is that he always says "no" to any and all changes and innovations because he has been on the account so long that he has "gone native." Whenever he asks a question, his remarks are merely seen as an effort to delay or derail the proposed improvements. His questions are seen as obstructions.

Janice has always had a reputation for acting as if her success and advancement is more important than anything else. Whenever she proposes an idea or recommends a solution, others ask themselves, "What is she going to get out of this?" Her suggestions aren't taken at face value, only as indirect efforts to feather her own nest.

The negative reputations of Dave, Sean, and Janice undermine their effectiveness - their contributions are ignored because they are not seen as team players.

Eliminating the effect of a negative reputation is exceedingly difficult, but there a few steps that can help repair bad reputations.

The first step is to make sure that leaders with negative reputations are aware of how they are perceived by others. This requires a tactful and candid conversation in which the leaders are given specific examples of how their actions and words are interpreted and understood by others and the effect their behavior has on their colleagues.

The next step is to help the leaders undertake a re- branding initiative. This will often include having them stop or at least modify the most glaring behaviors that led to their negative reputations. In addition, the leaders can start explaining the reasons behind their words and actions in order to reduce the likelihood that others will misperceive their intent.

The burden of re-branding the negative reputations of leaders doesn't fall solely on the leaders themselves. Other members of the organization play a role, too. They must be willing to change how they interpret the words and actions of those leaders who have negative reputations. This is not easy, as it requires a conscious effort to stop using the negative lens through which they see the leaders' actions and words.

Other members of the organization should be a part of the re-branding initiative by talking directly with the leaders with negative reputations to put the issue on the table. The conversation needs to include a frank discussion as to how the words and actions of the leaders with negative reputations are interpreted and what steps they can take together to improve their communications.

Will these steps guarantee success? Not necessarily, but if the impact on the organization merits trying to re-brand a leader with a negative reputation, they certainly can help.

David Brooks, the NY Times columnist wrote, "A crucial question in an authority crisis is: Who has a strategy for execution?"

His concern was that presidents struggle to find the right methods to make things happen, especially when there are questions about who decides.

It's no different in business.

How often has your planning gone awry because there weren't clear lines of authority? How many of your direct reports have fallen short of your expectations because they were uncertain, confused, or in disagreement about what authority they did or didn't have? How frequently have staff members slowed down a project and clogged email in-boxes to ask for guidance and direction because they didn't know who had the authority to make a decision?

These could be symptoms of execution indecision indicating that the lines of authority need to be spelled out in clear detail. If this is happening in your business, what can you do to let people know who has the authority to make which specific decisions?

Sometimes we just need to take a fresh look at things.

All too often in my work helping leaders, I see that they're stuck, so wound up in the day-to-day pressures of work that they miss things. My job in those cases is to help them find the space they need to see what they're missing.

Recently, I've created a presentation to provide leaders, especially younger, aspiring ones, with the opportunity to reflect on what it's going to take for them to build and enhance their careers as leaders.

Entitled, "Not Better, Not Worse, Just Different," it provides the time and space for leaders to take a fresh look at themselves and their careers.

Let me know if you'd like me to make the presentation to leaders at your work - it may very well be just what's needed to energize and inspire them so they don't feel as though their careers have been sidetracked by the immediate pressure of their jobs.

email: archie@archietinelli.com archie@archietinelli.com