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Leadership Bottlenecks Kill Companies

Written by: David Liddell

Article Overview: Organizational failure can always be traced back to leadership decisions and non-decisions. Successful leaders rely on best practices and consistency to endure during difficult times.

Free Download - Is Supervision Part of Leadership? By David Liddell
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Leadership Bottlenecks Kill Companies

The term "kill" may be a little strong but, by the process of elimination, organizational failure or death can always be traced back to leadership decisions and non-decisions. Sure, economic factors can be implicated as well but successful leaders rely on best practices and consistency to endure during difficult times.

A study conducted earlier this year by Executive Development Associates asked respondents to identify the key objectives that would be most important to their executive and leadership development efforts over the next two to three years. "Increasing bench strength" was #1, shown below, as part of the top 5 objectives:

  1. Increase bench strength
  2. Accelerate development of high-potentials
  3. Communicate vision and strategy and create alignment
  4. Address key business issues/challenges
  5. Increase cross-organization coordination and collaboration
This is compared to the year 2000 when "Increasing bench strength" was ranked #4 which demonstrates a clear shift in thinking. Based on our experiences working with small, medium, and large companies, I agree fully and will argue that "increasing leadership bench strength" should have been highlighted years earlier to mitigate some of the challenges we are facing today.

Here are four critical leadership disconnects we see when working with companies to help them achieve consistent and sustainable business results:

If you are wondering if these problems exist in your company, the answer is "yes", however a better question to ask yourself is "what should I do about it?" If the first thought that occurs to you is "I don't have time to worry about this right now" then I will suggest you are not looking out for the best interest of the entire organization. Sure, everybody is busy but by not working on improving your business only perpetuates the treadmill effect. Tackling these issues moves you, and the organization, off the treadmill so that you make real progress.

Don't take my word for it. Look around, ask your peers, and connect with your employees - they are living these challenges every day.

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Home > Productivity > David Liddell > Leadership Bottlenecks Kill Companies
Article Tags: best practices, bottlenecks, consistency, difficult times, leadership decisions, organizational failure

About the Author: David Liddell
RSS for David's articles - Visit David's website

David Liddell, president and founder of SKYE Business Solutions, is an insightful and

trusted advisor to organizations interested in improving their performance and results.

Based on more than 20 years of experience in organizational and business

development, he objectively evaluates organizations and their employees to identify

opportunities for increased efficiencies and productivity. Recognizing that employees

play a key role in a company's performance, David utilizes his analysis to create

customized employee training and development solutions designed to enhance

employee performance, leadership skills, team building, strategy planning and

organizational development. 

He is widely respected for his skills as an expert problem solver, trainer, speaker,

facilitator and coach. As a certified 360 Solutions training partner and Profiles

International strategic business partner, he brings proven expertise to his creation of

customized employee development solutions.

Areas of Expertise

David has assisted numerous companies in improving employee and organizational performance. Using

a blended approach (assessments, training, coaching, strategic planning, and consulting), following is a

sample of results achieved:

  • Improved core leadership strength and alignment
  • Increased sales performance / business growth
  • Maximized production throughput and workforce productivity
  • Enhance organizational culture to foster a high performance mind-set (employee engagement)
  • Elevated trust / improved communication and collaboration
  • Ensured successful formation and execution on strategic objectives and goals

Background and Credentials

Prior to founding SKYE Business Solutions, David honed his skills in organizational and business

development, sales and marketing, business growth, and employee retention, training and coaching

through his work in the manufacturing, technology distribution, computer software, and information

technology consulting industries.

David holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Concordia University and is active in numerous

community and professionals organizations.

Click here to visit David's website Dashed Line

More from David Liddell
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Maintenance Prevents Pain
Supervisory Skills
Accountability The Missing Link
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