Michael King
Even leaders get burned out.
In fact, it’s more common than one might think. According to Forbes and a Deloitte study, roughly 70% of executives considered quitting their jobs in 2021.
Michael King has seen this firsthand. The Nebraska-based executive and leadership coach has spent nearly two decades working with leaders, entrepreneurs and organizations. That experience has earned King valuable insights that uniquely position him to understand the complicated climate modern business leaders face.
“Executives are human, too,” King said. “They have feelings. The reality is that right now, the expectations of the executives might not even be reasonable. Many organizations are in the middle of reinvention cycles, and the pressure on the CEO, as the primary visionary, is intense.”
The case of "Jane CEO"
Even if an executive leaves for another opportunity, the friction of change is likely to be a stumbling point. King gave the hypothetical case of Jane CEO, who is transitioning from a fast-paced tech firm to a CEO role at an organization whose technology is decades behind.
The workers at her new company are comfortable and used to nothing changing. Innovation is a word that has been locked away in a vault, and the concept is frightening to most of the team. Jane’s ability to lead from the top, to operate as an effective agent of change and progress, isn’t necessarily reverberating down the corporate ladder.
So is Jane’s quest hopeless? Not if she follows some key tenets of culture change. King laid out five steps for her to follow.
1. Gain team trust.
“Gaining the trust of the team is hearing them and understanding them,” King said. “The best leaders take a season to sometimes be the quietest person in the room. Caring about motivations and how people feel in your organization is going to get you a long way when it comes to building trust.”
2. Display transparency and honesty.
“It comes down to consistency, predictability and honesty,” King said. “Those three components in themselves are really key when it comes to senior leaders gaining support within an organization.”
3. Create opportunities for success.
“Fairness and equality are big factors in winning over a culture,” King said. “But when I work with a leader, I truly know they are in a healthy spot when they are seeing the best opportunities for the team members and supporting them in those opportunities.”
4. Stay focused and determined.
“You can’t give up,” King said. “A senior leader that shows bravery and fortitude will create a situation where those attributes are replicated. I can’t tell you how much of the success mindset has to do with bravery and taking the small steps together.”
5. Celebrate the wins.
“Senior leaders have a tendency to tout the big picture objectives and accomplishments,” King said. “The biggest mistake that I see C-level leaders make is they only want to celebrate the big win. The things that are significant for them. But the things that move a team and culture forward might be smaller.”
Jane CEO is an allegory for so many corporate leaders, but her struggles are the ones King deals with every day.
“Changing a team’s culture is not easy, but it is possible,” King said. “I know because I’ve seen it with leaders I work with. It takes time, patience and perseverance. A leader can do it, but they will need the help of their team. Together, they can transform the company and create a new innovative, creative and thriving culture.”
A key to success for every great organization, and one of the best tools in any leader’s playbook, is internal communication. Visit Teams.Coach for a free download of “What’s It Like to Work for Me” document, a great jumpstart for any leader communicating their goals and expectations for and to their team.
If interested in learning more, visit Teams.Coach.
