How Can a Leader Recognize Behaviors That Derail Them?

What is a Leadership Derailler?

What we call derailers are behaviors that get in the way of progress, that prevent ideal outcomes related to our goals from occurring. It is not right to treat derailers as mere weaknesses. Since some of these are also the elements that make us successful in life, we usually don't feel the need to change them or think about improving them.

For example, a person who is result-oriented and perseveres to achieve his/her goals can be very successful as an individual and can be promoted to a managerial position thanks to this characteristic. So far so good. However, this powerful trait can also become a derailment that prevents the manager from being a good leader. The employees who report to this manager may become uncomfortable with his or her over-intrusiveness and their commitment to the job may weaken because of it. Or, when a person who is characteristically individualistic is promoted to a managerial position, he may be perceived as a cold, distant and hard-to-reach leader by his employees without even realizing it. In summary, the things we call "derailers" are weaknesses that we need to recognize and improve in order to realize our full potential (even if we see them not as weaknesses but as our greatest strengths!) We all have many such weaknesses that we need to improve on in order to be more successful, but that we don't think about improving or don't feel the need to change.

How Can We Recognize Behavior That Derails Us?

Recognizing what your "Derailers" are requires a high level of awareness. We use the 360 Degree Feedback Survey and Reiss Motivation Analysis to help the leaders we work with achieve this awareness. The results of these assessments provide leaders with powerful data on behaviors that are likely to derail them. In the 360 Degree Performance Assessment Questionnaires we use in the Success Program,we measure "Leadership Derailers" separately, in a different section from normal leadership skills. In our view, without the "Derailers" section, your 360-degree feedback puzzle would be missing important pieces.

To give a few examples of the important information provided by the "Derailers" on the results of the 360 Feedback Survey;

Standard 360 Result: High Score on Results Orientation
Derailing Knowledge: High Score onMicromanagement

Standard 360 Result: Low Score for Teamwork and Cooperation
Derailing Knowledge: High score for narrow-mindedness

Standard 360 Result: Low Score on Decision Making
Derailing Knowledge: High score for lack of self-confidence

360 Degree Performance Appraisal Best Practices Guide

The 360-degree survey results point to "Derailers" that go beyond providing a general overview of leadership skills, and pointthe leader towards specific areas where they can take action . The "Derailers" tell us the "why" behind the negative results in the report. When these elements are combined with the comments from the open-ended questions and the results from the leadership skills section, participants can clearly see themes emerging from their feedback.

In addition, the motivational analyses we conduct with the leaders we work with reveal the values, strengths and weak desires thatthe individual needs internally. Since the purpose of life for all of us is to fulfill these inner desires, the desires that come to the forefront in this analysis are also the main themes that guide the leader's behavior. When a person's motivation profile and 360-degree feedback results are interpreted together, the "Derailing" behaviors of this person become very clear.

A couple of important points to remember about Derailers;

• * Derailers limit our progress and development.
• * Sometimes a derailer can be linked to a skill that we are exceptionally good at.
• * The combination of all your other strengths may not be able to compensate for a derailment.
• * Often the tendency of other people is to focus on and emphasize our weaknesses (the Horn Effect).
• So despite all our other strong leadership skills, a single derailment can cause us to be perceived negatively.

What are the Most Common Derailers?:

In the light of our partner Decisionwise's years of research and experience, the most common 'Derailers' in leadership can be listed as follows:

1. Unfocused: Easily distracted, jumps from one task to another without taking care of the most important details.
2. Not a Team Player: Selfish, puts his/her own interests and agenda ahead of the team's interests and well-being.
3. Not Committed: Bored, bored or dissatisfied with work, works just enough to get by.
4. Unreliable: Abuses other people's trust, has difficulty gaining people's trust.
5. Over-Intrusive: Too controlling, not giving others the freedom and space they need to do a good job.
6. Explosive: Quick-tempered, impatient, irritable and unable to control themselves.
7. Insecure: Too afraid of making mistakes, indecisive, risk-averse.
8. Cold: Distant, unapproachable or isolating, indifferent to others, unable to establish effective relationships.
9. Arrogant: Self-righteous, egotistical, self-entitled.
10. Narrow-minded: Closed to new ideas, closed to criticism, unwilling to consider other points of view.
11. Eager to please: Overly anxious to be accepted, approved and loved, submissive to the opinions of others.
12. Perfectionist: Unable to accept that something is "good enough", obsessive, uncompromising.
13. Content/Concerned: Staying in place, avoiding opportunities for personal development and learning.

On the one hand, managers are struggling to recognize what they need to improve to create a "better" version of themselves, and on the other hand, companies are suffering tremendously because of their leaders' behavior similar to the above.This is by no means a complete list! Perhaps you observe that there are other derailers in your organization that are more important than these. I would be grateful if you could share your views on this issue with me via the form below.

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