Is Someone Sabotaging Your Company? Is It You?
Leadership expert outlines ways that leaders thwart the success of their own companies. Knowing what not to do can make clear what they should do instead.
 
 
Something’s wrong. You know it. Everyone around you knows. It is as if someone is trying to sabotage your business. But who? How? Why? How can you find out? How can you fix it?
Anne Morriss could be the very person to ask. The leadership expert, along with Move Fast & Fix Things co-author Frances Frei, has set out a prescription for discovering what’s wrong and how to fix it, steering clear of office politics and tackling issues that address a company’s future.
Their book is a highly readable step-by-step virtual instruction manual written with a good dose of humor.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.
 
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
In my interview with Morriss, I discovered someone who was born a problem solver. We looked at several of the incorrect ways leaders are approaching critical issues that threaten a company’s survival.
1. When faced with a need to discover the root cause of problems, they move slowly.
Consequences: The cost is a crisis in trust, a crisis in performance, and in many cases, they give up the opportunity to have any impact at all. There is a window of opportunity when problems can be solved. In many cases, leaders assume that waiting or moving slowly does not have a cost. The implicit assumption is that there is no cost to moving slowly and that doing so will be safer.
In fact, moving slowly puts an organization in a more precarious position as leaders wait for more data, more information, more input from people who are in the know. “But slow often becomes a synonym for ‘destructive,’” Morriss points out, adding a quote by poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed.”
Morriss says, “Anyone who has lived where lakes and rivers freeze over, attracting ice skaters, never forgets the sound of dangerously thin ice and of warnings from all around to ‘get off it — move!’”
2. They tolerate collateral damage of their products and services, underinvest in relationships and play hide the ball.
Consequences: When leaders fail to signal to key stakeholders, employees, customers and shareholders how much they value those relationships and how important the problems are that they have, that harms their credibility. They can’t play hide the ball for long, as the resulting damage is severe. Their message should be that they want to clean up the mess, and it should be delivered with a sense of urgency.
3. They remain overconfident in the quality of their own thoughts and diagnoses, projecting a sense of arrogance. They fail to be curious. They assume their view of the problem is the correct view.
Consequences: They lose the opportunity to solve their most important problems. This is where we see leaders get stuck, assuming their perception is accurate without taking it for a test drive, without bringing other people into the conversation, without gathering the data to confirm their belief. They think, “My view of the problem is accurate. End of story.”
Overconfidence gets in the way of a leader understanding their own barriers to performance and impact.
4. They hire people who are just like them. They undervalue differences and fail to develop an environment that fosters creativity and welcomes free expressions of opinion.
Consequences: Leaders can develop a very narrow, arguably myopic view of their own organization, their own problems, their own marketplace and their own opportunities.
They can’t see clearly — it’s almost like they’re seeing with one eye instead of two.
The frequency with which people do not take this insight and apply it to their own lives and organizations is astonishing when you compare it to the payoff of getting it right.
Where people can bring unique insight, experiences and perspectives into the room and contribute them to the full extent of their capacity and then be fairly rewarded for those contributions, organizations that really get it far surpass their competitors.
This requires creating an environment where people not only feel safe and welcome in spite of whatever difference they’re bringing to the table, but also valued and championed because of their unique capabilities, information and experiences.
It’s the mix of all of those differences that are going to give leaders an incredible competitive advantage.
5. They fail to articulate a powerful story that honors the past and describes a reason for change in language all can understand. They use lots and lots of jargon.
Consequences: Human beings need stories to make sense of change and to find our place in the script of it. Leaders need those stories to inspire all the other people who are going to help with that change. They should describe their story or strategy simply, in language that everybody can understand.
For a leader who attempts to inspire with jargon, using it everywhere they go, no amount of passion will remedy their image as someone who is out of touch.
Move Fast & Fix Things is one of those gems in the business/leadership category that has something for everyone who wants an approach to discovering and solving office problems. It is also an enjoyable read!
Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield, Calif., and welcomes comments and questions from readers, which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993, or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1@gmail.com. And be sure to visit dennisbeaver.com.
related content
- What Does It Take to Be a Strong Leader?
- How to Spot a Drama Addict at Work (and What to Do About It)
- Can a Potential Employee Negotiate Conditions of Criticism?
- What Happens When Bosses Heap Praise Only on Their ‘Stars’?
- Are You an Emotional Miser With Your Employees?
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

After attending Loyola University School of Law, H. Dennis Beaver joined California's Kern County District Attorney's Office, where he established a Consumer Fraud section. He is in the general practice of law and writes a syndicated newspaper column, "You and the Law." Through his column, he offers readers in need of down-to-earth advice his help free of charge. "I know it sounds corny, but I just love to be able to use my education and experience to help, simply to help. When a reader contacts me, it is a gift."
- 
 What Netflix Stock's 10-for-1 Split Means for Investors What Netflix Stock's 10-for-1 Split Means for InvestorsNetflix announced its long-awaited stock split after Thursday's close. NFLX will start trading on a split-adjusted basis ahead of the November 17 open. 
- 
 Stocks Sink with Meta, Microsoft: Stock Market Today Stocks Sink with Meta, Microsoft: Stock Market TodayAlphabet was a bright light among the Magnificent 7 stocks today after the Google parent's quarterly revenue topped $100 billion for the first time. 
- 
 Five Downsides of Dividend Investing for Retirees, From a Financial Planner Five Downsides of Dividend Investing for Retirees, From a Financial PlannerCan you rely on dividend-paying stocks for retirement income? You'd have to be extremely wealthy — and even then, the downsides could be considerable. 
- 
 I'm a CPA: Control These Three Levers to Keep Your Retirement on Track I'm a CPA: Control These Three Levers to Keep Your Retirement on TrackThink of investing in terms of time, savings and risk. By carefully monitoring all three, you'll keep your retirement plans heading in the right direction. 
- 
 Debunking Three Myths About Defined Outcome ETFs (aka Buffered ETFs) Debunking Three Myths About Defined Outcome ETFs (aka Buffered ETFs)Defined outcome ETFs offer a middle ground between traditional equity and fixed-income investments, helping provide downside protection and upside participation. 
- 
 This Is Why Judge Judy Says Details Are Important in Contracts: This Contract Had Holes This Is Why Judge Judy Says Details Are Important in Contracts: This Contract Had HolesA couple's disastrous experience with reclaimed wood flooring led to safety hazards and a lesson in the critical importance of detailed contracts. 
- 
 A Lesson From the School of Rock (and a Financial Adviser) as the Markets Go Around and Around A Lesson From the School of Rock (and a Financial Adviser) as the Markets Go Around and AroundIt's hard to hold your nerve during a downturn, but next time the markets take a tumble, remember this quick rock 'n' roll tutorial and aim to stay invested. 
- 
 I'm a Financial Pro: This Is How You Can Guide Your Heirs Through the Great Wealth Transfer I'm a Financial Pro: This Is How You Can Guide Your Heirs Through the Great Wealth TransferFocus on creating a clear estate plan, communicating your wishes early to avoid family conflict, leaving an ethical will with your values and wisdom and preparing them practically and emotionally. 
- 
 To Reap the Full Benefits of Tax-Loss Harvesting, Consider This Investment Strategist's Steps To Reap the Full Benefits of Tax-Loss Harvesting, Consider This Investment Strategist's StepsTax-loss harvesting can offer more advantages for investors than tax relief. Over the long term, it can potentially help you maintain a robust portfolio and build wealth. 
- 
 Social Security Wisdom From a Financial Adviser Receiving Benefits Himself Social Security Wisdom From a Financial Adviser Receiving Benefits HimselfYou don't know what you don't know, and with Social Security, that can be a costly problem for retirees — one that can last a lifetime.