Several years ago while interviewing an up and coming leader for a management position I was fascinated to hear how he answered questions relating to why things happen in an organization and who he felt was to blame. His boldness and conviction in blaming everything on the leader seemed at the time a rather naïve answer. However, over the years when reflecting back on that interview, my perception is that he had incredible wisdom.

The more time goes by leading people or helping organizations with leadership issues the more convinced I am that the organization’s outcomes are “all about the leader.” Today’s leader needs to be transformational. A transformational leader or leaders set the vision and tone for the organization or his/her given department or division. If there is no vision, everyone makes it up and goes his/her own way every day, subsequently; an organization continues to achieve less-than-stellar performance.

Since most organizations are made up of people, leading well makes a difference in the success of the company. If behavioral or performance issues exist, it is the leader’s responsibility to assess and address it. If not, the good performers can be discouraged, the sub-performers continue functioning, often without knowledge the expectations aren’t being met and most of the employees think you can do what you want and get by with it.

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