1Leadership Attribution Bias

Attribution is the way people make sense out of cause and effect
relationships. If a person wakes up with heartburn in the middle
of the night, they may attribute it to the pizza they ate for dinner
earlier. If a person is offered a promotion at their job, they may
attribute it to the successful completion of a high-profile project
earlier in the year.
The attribution framework shows that people characterize those
with traits such as intelligence, outgoing personalities,
aggressiveness, strong verbal skills and the like as leaders, or at
least as leadership material. Similarly, individuals who score
highly on task performance and relationship performance are
seen to be good leaders. Situation doesn’t really get calculated
into this point of view. They just have these traits and skills, so
they are, without question, good leaders.
When an organization has extremely poor (or extremely good)
performance, people are going to reach to make a leadership
attribution to explain that performance. Humans have a tendency
to overvalue a leader’s impact on performance. And this is why
CEOs are either celebrated or take the fall, regardless of how
much they’re actually responsible for the results.
When a leader is replaced, a new leader is likely to benefit from
a phenomenon called regression to the mean. That is, most
teams or people who are underperforming will naturally
improve, without intervention, by reverting to their historical
average performance. This will lead observers to come to the
conclusion that the new leader is responsible for the improved
performance.
So, in keeping with this attribution bias and theory, it would
seem that having the appearance of being a leader is actually
more important than actual accomplishments. People who aspire
to leadership roles can attempt to shape the perception that
they’re intelligent, have outgoing personalities, are aggressive,
have strong verbal skills, and so on, and they’re likely to
increase the probability that their managers, colleagues and
employees will view them as an effective leader.

2 Substitutes and Neutralizers

Just as people can place too much value on the leader’s
contributions to the success or failure of an organization, in
some situations, a leader’s contribution can be completely
irrelevant.
In 1978, Steven Kerr and John Jamier developed the substitutes
for leadership theory suggesting that different situational factors
can substitute or neutralize the effects of a leader’s efforts.
[1]
 While there were methodological issues with their findings,
the study has held up and is worth considering here.
Situations that are neutralizers make it impossible for the leader
behavior to make any difference to follower outcomes.
Substitutes act as a replacement for leader influence. The impact
of these different substitutes and neutralizers depends on
whether leadership is relationship-based or task-based.
For instance, if an individual is intrinsically satisfied in their job,
this can be a substitution for the contributions of a relationship-
based leader. If an organization has very explicit formalized
goals and rigid rules and procedures, this can be a substitute for
task-oriented leadership.
There is some application for this theory. For example,
autonomous work groups have been considered a substitution
for formal leadership. In autonomous work groups, employees
are divided into groups that are responsible for managing their
own day-to-day work, including recruiting, hiring, distribution
of tasks, etc.
Self-leadership is also an application for this theory. In self-
leadership, the individual controls his or her own behavior
through a set of processes. The underlying assumptions behind
self-leadership are that people are able to exercise initiative
without the external constraints of management, rules or
regulations.
This concept has increased with the popularity of teams, as
empowered, self-managed teams need team members who are,
themselves, self-directed.
3 KEEPING YOUR TEAM INSPIRED AND
MOTIVATED.

 
Every day, the people you lead are asking, “Why?” What’s the
vision? Where are we going?
 
Every one of us is looking for purpose in our work. As a leader,
it goes with the territory to keep your team focused on that
purpose. To inspire them with a shared vision and encourage
them as you accomplish your goals together.
 
But it isn’t always easy. When you’re not feeling very inspired
yourself, or you’re unsure how things are going to turn out.
When a team is struggling and you’re grasping at some way to
rekindle the fire. People are people—we’re emotional beings
with highs and lows. And it’s up to the leader to inspire and
motivate their team through all of those times.
 
4 DEVELOPING, COACHING AND MENTORING YOUR
EMPLOYEES.

People want to grow in their careers, and it’s the leader’s job to
make sure they can. To give them the opportunities they need,
push them, guide them. It means looking for strengths and
recognizing potential. Setting a high bar for them to clear, but
assuring them that you know they can do it and giving
the direction and support to believe it. All of it takes time and
commitment.
 
Another important part of the equation of developing and
mentoring employees is giving recognition. We all need to know
we matter. Everyone wants to feel seen, heard and appreciated.
It’s your job as a leader to make sure your people know that you
appreciate them. And not in a generic, “thanks for everything
you do” sort of way. In a specific, “I see what you did in this
moment and sincerely appreciate the great work” sort of way.
 
That means paying attention, listening actively and making a
genuine effort to help your team value their own strengths, find
fulfillment and grow toward their potential.
 
5 MANAGING PEOPLE AND RESOURCES.

Managing. Not micromanaging. That distinction in and of itself

could have been another leadership challenge.
 
But for our purposes, we’re talking about the constant problem-
solving. Arranging the chessboard. Navigating the complexities
of interpersonal relationships and handling team dynamics. It’s
the daily pressures of good decision-making as a steward of your
organization’s resources. All of that wrapped up into a bundle of
challenges that can tie the leader into knots if you let it.
 
And don’t forget about delegation. Delegating is easy.
Delegating well is not. When you do it right, delegating isn’t
about simply “handing things off” or “clearing your plate.” It’s
about empowering others to do the work you’ve brought them
on board to do.
 
Taken together, all the demands of managing resources well can
present a deep challenge for you as a leader.
 
6 DEVELOPING YOUR OWN SKILLS.

The more you spend your time and energy helping your team
grow and develop their skills, the harder it can be to
intentionally develop your own. At the risk of sounding a little
anti-servant-leadership (we’re not, promise), you can’t only do
for others and not take care of your own growth and
development.
 
Actually, it’s related in a way to the challenge of avoiding
burnout. Just as you want to make sure you’re filling your own
well in terms of emotional rest and self-care, you want to make
sure you’re able to provide for your own intellectual and
professional well-being.
 
7 GUIDING CHANGE.

Change is the only constant.

 
That’s a cliché these days, but a long time ago it was profound
philosophy. And it’s true. If there’s one thing we can count on,
especially in this day and age, it’s that things will always
change.
 
For the leader, that means facing the challenges that come along
with change in our organizations. Understanding how things are
going to be different, planning for it and accounting for the
fallout. Reassuring teams when things are uncertain and
bringing people along for the ride when they’re resistant to
change.
 
Sometimes change is predictable. More often, it’s not. The
challenge for the leader is to provide consistency and clarity
through it all.
 
8 MAKING THE HARD DECISIONS.

There’s always an easy way out. And it’s almost never the right
choice. Leadership is full of tough decisions. Some gut-
wrenching. It’s the leader’s job to stare those tough decisions
down.
 
That can be hard. But even harder can be the idea of living with
the decisions you’ve made. There will be consequences. Physics
tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. And tough decisions aren’t too different. You might
get blowback. The decision may turn out to be a bad call. But
you’ve got to make the decision—often with very little time to
think through all the eventualities.
 
Some decisions you can easily walk back if you need to. But
there’s a good chance the toughest decisions come with no
takebacks. You make your bed, you lie in it. Great leaders can
make those difficult decisions … and sleep through the night
afterwards.

CHALLENGES OF COMMUNICATION: 3 LEADERSHIP

CHALLENGES THAT THREATEN TEAM DYNAMICS

You have internal leadership challenges. There are challenges

that stretch your skills and abilities. But you could argue that the
challenges that stem from communication top them all. So much
can get skipped, jumbled or misinterpreted. And when there’s
faulty communication, people will fill in the gaps with their own
assumptions.
 
Communication presents plenty of leadership challenges. We’ve
boiled it down to three.
 
9 KEEPING EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE.

Every time you gather a group of people and they bring their
different backgrounds, experiences and feelings to the table, it’s
a challenge to get them all moving in the same direction.
 
That’s the life of a leader. And it’s one of the chief challenges in
any organization.
 
How do you make sure there’s common understanding of what
you do and why you do it? How do you get everyone rowing the
same direction, rather than following their own agendas? It’s
critical for the success of your organization to have alignment
with a common vision, purpose and understanding of what it
means to win. And it takes continuous attention and
communication to make it happen.
 
9 DEALING WITH CONFLICT.

Finally, the elephant in the room. Any room. The drama that
spills over when under-the-table agendas that drive so many
unhealthy behaviors in our organizations meet each other in
battle. When differences of opinion get personal. Or the healthy
side of conflict, when what needs to be said finally gets said—
even if it’s no less painful.
 
Conflict is part of life. And it’s most definitely part of business.
 
It’s also yet another chance for the limbic system to pull the
ripcord on our fight-or-flight response—with the result that we
either avoid conflict (which leads to problems) or dig in our
heels for a good, old-fashioned brawl (which leads to problems).
 
Effective leadership means embracing the fact that conflict has
to happen—but that there’s a way for conflict to be constructive.
It means tough conversations. Sometimes it hurts. But conflict
can be incredibly healthy for an organization that’s willing to
grow out of it. It’s up to you as the leader to steer conflict
toward productive resolution.
 
10 DELIVERING BAD NEWS.

Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. We all know this. But that
doesn’t make it any easier to be the bearer of bad news.
 
Things don’t always go as planned. Mistakes happen. Problems
need to be addressed. Sometimes leadership means having to
deliver the bad news about what went wrong or what needs to
change. Sometimes it means being “the bad guy.”
 
It can be challenging to be in that position. But it’s the leader’s
calling to be clear and decisive. Empathy is important, but so is
clarity and understanding. It’s hard work to be honest. To
deliver information clearly. Bad news can be dramatic—it’s
your job to deliver it and manage it in a way that stifles drama
before it contaminates your culture.
 
11CHALLENGES OF CRISIS LEADERSHIP
 
 
Speaking of bad news.… Sometimes the biggest challenges
come when the unexpected happens. A natural disaster.
Economic upheaval. A failed product launch, catastrophic
mistake or a losing season. Even a global pandemic.
 
Those are the times when we most need to step up as leaders.
And they’re the pressure-cooker moments that expose just how
hard effective leadership can be. Crisis leadership can challenge
you like nothing else. But it can also bring out the best in great
leaders. Let’s unpack just a handful of the leadership challenges
that rear their heads during tough times.
 
12.STAYING POSITIVE.

It’s far too tempting to go negative. In a time of crisis, negative

is probably how you’re feeling. But your team needs to see
hope. Not false hope or foolish optimism—but it’s never hurt
anyone to find the opportunities in challenges or the light in dark
times.
 
Exhibiting leadership in tough times takes an extra measure of
patience and empathy. It means working more diligently to rally
the team, find the lessons you can learn from adversity, and
celebrate your wins. It takes vigilance against placing blame or
finger-pointing. It’s a time to lean into sharing your purpose and
vision even more.
 
Teams look to their leaders as a beacon in difficult
circumstances. As hard as it can be, you need to model the
positivity they’re looking for.
 
13. BEING CLEAR AND HONEST.

It’s also tempting to sugarcoat things or withhold information.

To take “staying positive” a step too far. Maybe there’s real
danger to the organization, and you’d rather insulate your team
from it. But far and away the best way to lead through a crisis is
to prioritize clarity over comfort. Be real. Be transparent. It’s not
the path of least resistance, by any means. But making the effort
to shoot straight with your team, even if it’s not easy to hear, can
only strengthen your organization.
 
14. PROJECTING CALM.

Remember the fight-or-flight response? That’s where your

amygdala—part of the limbic system, where we process
emotions—goes on red alert in the face of danger, whether it’s
physical or psychological.
 
Times of crisis can be an absolute playground for your
amygdala.
 
So it can be an incredible challenge to stay calm—let
alone model and encourage calm for all those in your care—
when it feels like the wheels are falling off. But that’s exactly
what your people need to see from you when the going gets
tough. They need to see a leader who stays levelheaded during a
crisis.

15. KEEPING IT HUMAN.

On the other hand, you are not a machine. You’re human. Your
people understand that, and they need to see it.
 
It can be simpler to turn off the person part of you and just deal
with the challenges you’re facing as rationally and methodically
as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that, really. But you are
a person and the people you lead are people too. As difficult as it
can be to admit, being human—and allowing yourself to be
vulnerable, to be seen as human—can be one of the greatest
examples you set for your team.