The Four Leadership Gaps That Impact Performance

Hi there, I'm Ben Morton, and welcome to the Leaders Kit Bag, your go to podcast for practical leadership insights. In just six minutes. In each episode, we tackle real challenges faced by leaders and managers, offering actionable tools and strategies you can take away and immediately apply. And because leadership doesn't happen in a studio, these episodes are mostly recorded and outside on the move, they're raw, unscripted, and straight to the point. So wherever you are, let's dive in and sharpen your leadership skills six minutes at a time. When our team's performance falls short of the standard we were expecting, it can be tempting, easy even to point the finger of blame at them. But that's not what the best leaders do. Instead, they ask themselves one simple what was my role in this? Because, like it or not, as leaders, we are 100% accountable for everything that goes on in our team. Indulge me in a little physical exercise here. I'd like you to point your finger. Physically point at something in front of you. And as you do that, just take a look at your hand and you'll see three fingers pointing back at you. It's a cliche, but it's true. Every time we point the finger of blame at somebody else, there are three fingers pointing back at us. So next time someone in your team doesn't quite perform to the standard you were expecting, ask what role you played in that situation. I really encourage you to adopt a mindset of radical accountability. And whenever someone in your team or the entire team isn't performing to the standard that you expect or hope, ask yourself what part you've played in that situation. Because believe me, there is often a big part that we've played. For example, if you have delegated a task to a particular individual in your team and what they deliver isn't up to standard, then maybe you didn't delegate clearly enough. Maybe you weren't clear about the standard required and what good looked like. Maybe you didn't delegate with enough time so they had the time to work on the project. Maybe you didn't take into account what else they had on their plate and you didn't help them prioritise. Or maybe you gave the task to the wrong person. You see, there are so many areas in which we could be responsible for generating the substandard performance that we're getting. In my experience, there are four main leadership gaps, if you like, that can lead to substandard performance within our team and therefore frustration on our part. Number one is a big one. It is hiring and onboarding mistakes Perhaps we weren't diligent enough in that process. We didn't give it due care and attention, and now we're suffering the consequences. Number two I've touched on already, that's around a lack of clarity and standards, either specifically around tasks that you're delegating or more generally in terms of how the team department or even business operates. The third gap is often around insufficient support and coaching. That's our job as leaders, right? To deliver through others. So a big part of that job means we must be there to support the develop and coach our people so they can get on and deliver the things we're responsible for. If you've not got time to support and coach your team, you shouldn't be in a leadership role. And the final one, the fourth gap, which may surprise you, is our energy and mood. As leaders. We know from a raft of research into emotional contagion that moods are contagious and moods can spread like viruses. So our state, our energy, our mood will have a huge impact on what our team delivers and the standard at which they deliver. So that's it for today's episode of the Leaders Kickback. Except for a challenge I have for you. Think about those four leadership gaps. Hiring and onboarding mistakes, lack of clarity and standards, insufficient support and coaching or your energy, mood and state as a leader. Pick one of those areas and then identify a single action you can take to improve how you operate and see what happens to the performance of the individuals within your team. That's it for this episode. As always, take care of yourself and take care of those you've got the privilege and responsibility to lead. Until next time, lead on.