Where Have all the Leaders Gone?

The productivity problem companies are attempting to solve by issuing RTO mandates isn't with the employees- it's more likely a leadership deficit. A leader can lead a team, whether in person or remote – and if they don’t know how to do it, they figure it out, that’s what makes them leaders- they’re flexible, and able to adapt to new workforce dynamics. They’re curious, and they take advantage of new opportunities to hone attributes that make them leaders. They don’t devalue and dismiss employees, nor do they want employees to sacrifice comfort for productivity, because they know that one is dependent on the other. They understand that each employee is an individual with unique strengths and weaknesses -and leaders know ways of utilizing both to everyone’s advantage. They don’t stifle talent for fear their employees will outshine them- they want employees to succeed, because it's a reflection of their leadership. And because they want others to succeed - leaders tend to be balanced in most aspects of their lives, so they're capable of celebrating the accomplishments of others without resentment.

When companies fail to prioritize quality leadership, they're left with managers who engage in practices like micromanaging; hovering about expectantly, watching over employees shoulders, requesting project updates, and overall, being obtusely unaware that their presence throttles productivity. They allow for managers who falsely believe that people are motivated to work harder when they fear losing something, i.e. position, tenure, bonus, privilege, favoritism, etc. It’s not just an awful way to treat people, it’s also an unsustainable practice. People don’t perform well when they’re under pressure– working under pressure usually puts employees on a fast-track towards burning-out. Using fear as a motivator is a telling sign of an under-qualified manager. They don’t know how to authentically motivate a team, or lead by example, so they put pressure on their employees to ensure they meet goals. Employees that realize they are being motivated to hold on to a privilege rather than being motivated to aim for something more, won't be employees for long. They'll quit - the one's that are skilled and work hard will realize they're being underutilized, or undervalued, and they'll leave. The employees that are tolerant to working under stressful conditions, or that don't have better options will stick around- at least until that better option comes along.

When managers "micromanage" employees instead of granting them the autonomy to make their own decisions, it's costly to businesses. It’s expensive to hire and fully train a new employee. It takes time, effort, and dedication to show someone the ropes and get them up to speed with the rest of the team. When managers don’t respect that initial investment they risk creating a culture of burnout and causing attrition rates to rise. Having a bad manager is like buying a new car and neglecting to do any maintenance on it – the employee may be productive for a little while, but eventually they’ll sputter out and lose motivation to keep performing. Bad managers force good employees to quit. When employees quit in frustration they leave bad reviews to tell others to stay away. Too many bad reviews and they become one of those places that struggles to hire, forced to use temp agencies just to have enough applicants to keep up with the frequent turnover. One of those places that’s always hiring, not because they're growing and business necessitates it, but because they can’t motivate anyone to stick around for long. I’ve worked at a couple places like this – places where people don’t bother getting to know co-workers because they know that one of them will be gone soon. Places where managers derail their employees' trajectory from potential career path to dead-end job.