Thursday, January 24, 2008

Leaders, Don't Miss These Warning Signs

Scanning the radio the other day, I listened in for a moment to ESPN Sport Radio host, Michael Irvin. After a few moments, the topic turned to marriage and partners who fail to stay faithful or "mess up." They were saying these "mess ups" or failures happen gradually, but we miss the warning signs.

This topic got me to thinking about leaders who fail, and my own failures. Just as Irvin and several callers mentioned on the program, failure is gradual and there are warning signs. I recall a costly failure of mine -- losing over $10,000 on a business venture -- there were warning signs, but I ignored them.

The LeadershipNow blog posts an article by Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE, discussing why leaders fail and the warning signs. We can learn from Sanborn and be on the look out for these signs. The six warning signs are:

Warning Sign #1
A Shift in Focus

Warning Sign #2
Poor Communication

Warning Sign #3
Risk Aversion

Warning Sign #4
Ethics Slip

Warning Sign #5
Poor Self Management

Warning Sign #6
Lost Love



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post and mentioning my article--I appreciate it!

Best always,
Mark

Ron Bland said...

Mark, You're welcome. You write good material. The pleasure is all mine.