It’s autumn, and finally, we get to curl up on the couch and binge-watch series. Regardless of what I’m watching, the organizational and leadership enthusiast in me always finds parallels. I started with Ted Lasso (highly recommended!) mainly because the Queen of Psychological Safety, Amy Edmondson, recommended it as an entertaining example of creating psychological safety. Now, we’re watching Snabba Cash 2. Not for inspiration for good leadership, to say the least. On the contrary, I’m struck by how many would have survived if these guys had even a tiny, microscopic bit of good leadership in them. Instead of literally threatening someone’s life every time they disagree.

So, what’s the point of this? Most of us are lucky enough to avoid death threats at work, of course. However, really poor, controlling leadership still exists. And while it may not kill employees, it certainly kills the culture, motivation, collaboration, and all the other wonderful, fun, and successful aspects we desire in a workplace.

Control Leadership

• When I was in my twenties, I worked in an alpine village in Austria in the winters. It was seven absolutely fantastic years – I made friends for life, met my husband of almost 20 years, and learned everything I know about off-piste skiing, Tyrolean German, and après-ski. But also everything I know about really bad leadership. A few examples:
• When my employer heard that some kitchen staff had eaten ice cream in the kitchen after closing, he chose not to talk to them but instead installed surveillance cameras in the kitchen.Another employer called one evening to inform a loyal employee who had worked for him for many years that she didn’t need to come the next day. Or any other day, without any explanation or argument.
• While my kitchen colleagues were preparing a staff pasta (included in every 11-hour shift), made from the ends of the filet mignon (you know, the ones that don’t look as nice and can’t be sold), the boss walks into the kitchen and loudly says so all employees can hear: “What are you doing? That meat is too good for staff! Cook it up, and I’ll give it to Jimbo.”

Jimbo was her dog…

This was 20 years ago, but this type of leadership, which causes motivation and engagement to plummet like leaves on a stormy October morning, still exists today! And it contributes to the trend we are now seeing with quiet quitting, an increase in both mental health issues and poor work results. The other day, I heard, for example, that the new owners in a company put a note in the kitchen, among the fine china, and wrote “Management’s tableware” on it. Another workplace, sales-focused, had a Wall of Fame for the best sellers – and a Wall of Shame for the worst. Seriously. Today. How is this possible?

Trust before Control

I think it’s about forgetting to dare to trust each other. We are so conditioned to believe that control creates order that we forget there are other, much more effective paths. Especially for complex tasks that require collaboration (i.e., most of what we do today), research is abundantly clear that we need to feel motivated and psychologically safe to perform well. In the absence of trust, we create cracks, an ‘us and them’ feeling, frustration, and maybe even saboteurs. Conversely, with clear trust and a genuine belief that people want and can do their best if given the chance, we create a positive spiral of many wonderful things. Motivation, performance, inclusion, and ambassadors, for example.

Naive?

For those who might now be thinking, “But can you just trust people like that? That’s naive! You can be fooled and exploited.” To you, I want to say:
Try it! Take the risk. The next time you encounter a problem that needs solving, try, instead of building in more control, to let go of it. Invite. And choose to trust in people’s ability and willingness to contribute. Create conditions for employees to succeed and see what happens. Trust the process. The world needs more Ted Lassos. 😊