​A colleague once asked me how I would go about leading the Expendables . . . . you know, that group of 50-something outcasts who held higher positions in previous organizations, but due to cutbacks, lay-offs and downsizings now find themselves working in lower level jobs that are often less challenging and pay less than the jobs they previously held. 

What drives the Expendables?  What motivates them?  What's important to them?  How do you lead this group of talented castaways?  Are these characters more work than they are worth or are they an incredible opportunity?  How does one manage and lead these individuals?  Do traditional leadership tactics work?  And should our expectations of this group change?  Many of you may be wrestling with some or all of these questions, unsure of how to bring this sort of talent jambalaya together to work effectively and gel as a team.

Research is clear regarding the value this segment of the workforce can deliver to an organization.  Companies have spent years training and developing this group only to bail out on their investment before it had a chance to payoff.  The price on paper (read salary) appears too high to consultants, so company after company makes the classic investment mistake by liquidating their investment just before it begins to yield dividends.  They manage people as a cost on the income statement versus as an investment in their portfolio.

Today, we have a large group of 50 something's back in the job market, often working in lower level, lesser paying jobs and frequently in all together different fields than they previously worked.  Their priorities have changed.  In many cases, the experience of being thrust into unemployment late in their career has not only changed the way they approach life, but also the way they approach work.  A disgruntled group destined to be a problem for leaders?  I don't think so.  In fact, I believe this group is a sleeping gem worth taking the time to understand and lead for the benefits they can provide.  Here's how to get the most out of them:

Step 1:  Recognize the expertise they have to offer. Somebody else has already trained, nurtured and payed the developmental cost for this group.  While you can offer opportunities for additional development and training, forget about requiring.  As long as they can do the job you hired them to do (if they can't, you shouldn't have hired them in the first place), your job is to tap into the asset.  What matters most is a little respect.  When one gets cut after many years of service to an organization, even the strongest of spirits suffer a blow to self-confidence.  Your task is to build them back up and engage them.

Step 2: Clarify expectations.  This group comes from varied backgrounds and companies, hence their view of "the way work gets done" (culture) varies widely.  Their perception of what various job functions "should do" also spans the gamut.  Both realities spotlight the critical importance of clearly defining roles (theirs and others), as well as, any cultural keys for your organization. Clearly define each role's responsibility, outline operational priorities and discuss how you want the organization/team/etc. to function as a group.  


Step 3:  Forget about traditional motivators; discover what drives them.   Most often you are paying the Expendable "less than market" (and they know it), so variable pay opportunities such as bonuses or travel opportunities that include their spouses might be viewed desirable.  Take the time to get to know each individual and what they value.  At the end of the day, they bought into the job they are doing, at the pay they are receiving, so don't worry if you don't have additional perks to offer.  Let them do what you hired them to do.  At this point in their lives, many have decided priorities outside of work are more important anyway, and work is . . . well, work.

Step 4: The fundamentals still apply.  As with most things, the fundamentals always matter.  Communication, accountability and trust remain primary drivers of performance no matter the age or demographics of an employee.  Performance improves as trust increases.  Trust increases as people feel informed and included.  And accountability is born out of objective, line-of-sight expectations (see the WIN Leadership Model).  When employees believe you care about them and the expectations are clear, they perform better.

Leading the Expendables is not a daunting or difficult task.  It simply requires a slightly different approach.  Your job is to tap into their expertise, clarify roles and expectations, discover what drives them and stay true to the fundamentals of leadership.  In doing so, you will reap the returns on an investment others deemed . . . expendable.  Lead on!

There seems to be more and more articles written on leadership and the qualities required to be a leader.  Spend just a little time in the comment section of these articles and you will find strong and passionate opinions about the current state of leadership and what it takes to be a leader (versus the often portrayed 'evil opposite', a manager).  

The expectations are high and the criticisms are frequent.  One writer suggested the term "bad leader" is an oxymoron and by using such a term one does "a disservice to the noble ideal that being a leader is meant to hold."   Many readers feel too many in charge (i.e., in management) simply "have no idea how to be a leader."  One even confessed to being "guilty of expecting great leadership skills from upper management simply because of their titles." 

The fact is, we would all like to work for a great leader.  The unfortunate reality is most of us won't (it's a statistical thing). Most of us will have to be content with working for an "average leader", which really isn't so bad.  Today, though, in many businesses, it does appear that the performance of too many leaders has dropped well below acceptable levels, leading to more "bad" leaders in the workplace than normal (forgive me, but I don't buy the 'noble ideal' concept).

From my perspective, there are 3 keys to improving the current state of leadership:
     1.  Adopt a commonly accepted definition of leadership
     2.  Keep performance expectations for leaders realistic
     3.  Change the "system" responsible for developing leaders


                                     Key #1:  A Common Definition of Leadership

When improving something, one needs a clear definition of the desired goal.  In this case, we need a clear definition of leadership to guide the improvement process.  Unfortunately, the editorial landscape is flooded with hundreds of definitions of leadership.  Some include wise and sage advice from experienced leaders, but many are penned by individuals who have never been in a leadership position and the majority fall well short of providing enough clarity for use in an improvement process.  Until we clearly define what leadership is, we will struggle to improve the current situation.


                                     Key #2: Realistic Expectations of Leaders

As followers frustratingly chime in on the current state of leadership, their expectations for leaders are escalating to new heights.  While it is healthy to vent opinions and frustrations, it is unproductive to create unrealistic expectations in the process. We must be careful in how we define expectations for leaders.  Not every leader will or can be great.  Leadership, like any other professional discipline, typically possesses a relatively normal distribution of performers.  On a basic level, leaders (and managers) are responsible for delivering results . . . they are expected to deliver results safely, within the laws of the land and within the policies of the company.  Before setting standards too high, followers should focus on being better followers.  Doing so may be just what it takes to help a new or average leader become that special leader.


                                      Key #3:  Change the "System" Developing Future Leaders

There are three groups that make up the "system" responsible for producing adequately skilled leaders for today's business environment: academia, the training community and businesses themselves.  One or more of these groups must change their approach, if we are going to improve the state of leadership.  Currently, it appears the "system" either doesn't care or has defaulted to 'continuing to do what it has been doing and hoping for different results', which is not the formula for success.

Academia's primary role in the development process is to educate.  Universities should remain focused on continually translating guidance provided by the business community into improved curriculum.  Beyond that, academia gets a free pass in the improvement process.  The training community and businesses themselves, on the other hand, do not.

The training community has predominately provided a "one size fits all", classroom solution.  It's time to bring a better product to the table.  One that blends 1 part education with 2 parts training & coaching.  The current off-site, 2-5 day training course simply doesn't deliver effective results.  It's time for the training community to go to the customer instead of bringing the customer to them.  The training community must take their guidance from the business community much like academia and then supply a better product to their customer.

Finally, businesses themselves.  The list of issues with this group is long.  There are a few, though, that must be addressed up front, if improvement is to be made.  First, businesses must accept primary responsibility for developing leaders (i.e., read, invest more).  Second, businesses must stop expecting overloaded middle managers to play the lead and only role in coaching and developing upcoming leaders.  Their platters are too full and they don't have the time or training to do the task.  Either change those circumstances or go outside for help.  Third, businesses must demand the training community deliver a better solution.   Why do businesses still send candidates to a 3-5 day, off-site 'leadership training' course that yields no bottom-line results and causes the facility to operate short handed while doing so?  And fourth, it's time businesses move more quickly to get rid of underperforming leaders.  How does somebody survive for years failing to deliver results?  How can underperforming managers be so invisible to upper management, while being so visible to those who work for them?  Effective changes in the first 3 areas, will improve the pool of candidates for selection into leadership positions, mitigating the final issue.


The simple fact is that we do not have enough good leaders in business today.  Until we change the "system" responsible for producing qualified leaders (i.e., the manner in which we teach, train and develop future leaders in our schools, businesses and the training community), we will continue to fall short.  We are dealing with a "process" problem not a people problem.  Leadership in business, at its basic level, is about guiding, directing, showing way to and inspiring employees to deliver results.  It's time to get back to the basics, keep expectations in check and address the issue where it needs to be addressed.  Doing so will put us on the path to delivering improved results, which is what good leadership does.  Lead on!

You've finally been promoted to that managerial position you've worked so hard for the last couple of years.  Congratulations!  But are your mindsets ready for leadership?  

Through the years, I've seen many new (and experienced) leaders consistently get tripped up by wrong mindsets in 3 areas: respect, power & knowledge.  The sooner leaders adapt their mindsets in these 3 areas, the sooner they and their teams will be on the path to delivering outstanding results to their organization! 

The proper mindset for Respect: "Leaders earn it; followers get it"
As a new leader, you step into your position with a clean slate and "an empty bucket".  The empty bucket I refer to represents respect: the respect you've earned and accrued as the leader of your new work group.  It is very important for new leaders to adopt the mindset that they are "owed nothing" and have to "earn everything", especially when it comes to respect.  Other than the small amount that comes with your new title, your task is to earn the rest.  With each step you take, each interaction you engage in and each decision you make, you have an opportunity to fill your bucket of respect. 

Here's the catch . . . when it comes to your employees, you give respect to them immediately and unconditionally.  And when they trip up, reflect on what YOU, as their leader, can do differently next time to help them avoid a similar stumble, discuss the situation with them, as appropriate, and refill their bucket of respect back up to the top.  As a leader, it's your job to earn respect and your job to give respect, not the other way around.

The proper mindset for Power: "It's yours to share, not hoard"
Power is the capacity to exercise control.  As a leader, it's important to share power with your work group.  Not only does it send a strong supporting message, but it also strengthens the group's overall ability to perform.  For leaders, power is primarily derived from 3 sources:

                             -  One's Position (hierarchical power)
                             -  One's Knowledge (expertise power)
                             -  One's Access to Information (informational power)

Of the 3 power sources, hierarchal power is the only one that cannot be shared, as it is tied to the leader's job and necessary to uphold the responsibilities of the position.  Both expertise and informational power can be shared.  While not all new leaders possess expertise power, all possess informational power.  Some leaders get tripped up by mistakenly believing their unique access to information or possession of expertise increases their power status.  In reality, information access and expertise only become power increasers when they are shared with others. 

The more your team knows, the better able they will be to individually and collectively unleash their capabilities to help the business.  With expertise and informational power, the more you share, the more you will receive, both in terms of power and overall work group performance.

The proper mindset for Knowledge: "You don't know it all, so don't pretend"
None of us truly know everything, not even in the area of our specialty.  So why then does it seem so hard for some, especially once they've moved into leadership, to admit they don't know everything?  Ego I guess.  I have found this to be one of the single biggest challenges facing young leaders.  Through the years on numerous occasions, I learned of instances where a seasoned subordinate seemingly sat by while their new supervisor did something the subordinate knew was incorrect.  In every case, the explanation was either the supervisor had not asked the subordinate for input, or the subordinate had spoken up but the supervisor had not listened.

The lesson, for all leaders, is to engage your people for input when dealing with their jobs.  Give your people the benefit of the doubt regarding knowledge, whether they have earned it or not (see #1 above - you earn it, they get it).  Nobody expects you to have all of the answers, so don't pretend to. In general, be humble.  It is more important to find out what your employees know.  More often than not task owners know more about their jobs than others realize.

If you are a leader that already understands the above mindsets, congratulations, as you are off and running on the right foot!  If you found the above to be new and insightful, worry not.  The simple fact that you're reading articles, seeking knowledge and considering differing perspectives reflects a learner's spirit.  Keep learning, keep growing and keep tapping into the knowledge around you (see #3 above), as that's a formula used by successful leaders everywhere!  Lead on!