Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report revealed that 23% of employees were engaged at work in 2022—the highest level since 2009. The flip side is that more than half (59%) of employees are quiet quitting, meaning they put in the minimum effort required and feel disconnected from their work.  

This report also revealed a new trend: 18% of employees are now loud quitting. These workers are so frustrated with the expectations or culture at their workplace—a disenchantment often derived from broken trust between employee and employer—that their actions actually harm the organization.  

There are a number of factors creating this employee dissatisfaction, including record-high stress (44%), but for employers that don’t make an effort to improve their workplace environment or managing styles, they may soon be sent back to the starting line where they’ll have to replace talent. More than half (51%) of workers said they are actively seeking a new job. 

According to the poll, however, most disgruntled employees know what needs to change in their workplace, and 85% of those changes were related to culture, pay and benefits, and wellbeing. Employees reported that they wanted management changes like more autonomy, greater respect, clarity around goals and stronger guidance. 

The Gallup poll results stress that there are easy productivity gains for employers who are willing to make even small adjustments to their leadership style. In fact, it reported that 70% of team engagement is attributable to the manager. 

If your company’s profitability or team morale is suffering, Gallup says there is one clear strategy: “Change the way your people are managed.” 

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I know, I know.

Another article on getting “back to basics.”

You’ve heard it all before. Which is exactly the point.

The basics are…basic.

Yet, they are overlooked and forgotten more than any of us want to admit.

Over my time in this channel, 33 years and counting, I’ve had the tremendous opportunity to work with all types of companies. Pre-start up, start up, growth, global giants and companies on the decline.

I love the rocket ride of rapid growth. It’s fun. It’s crazy. It provides its own type of addiction. And—it doesn’t last.

At some point, a company that has grown rapidly has to face the fact that everything isn’t all rosy. Growth covers up a lot of flaws. It allows us to make a lot of mistakes and not even notice them—or at least, not focus on them for very long. Things are good.

I’ve said this before, and although not universal, I’ve seen companies go from $0-$100 million on brute force and charisma. But, there comes a time where those companies have to become a well-run business. A business with sound strategy and solid execution. The right people doing the right things right.

Coming Back from the Edge

Over the past few years, it seems I’ve stumbled into an area that I really enjoy—working with people who have achieved great success but are struggling, declining or on the verge of slowing their growth. The indicators are there, and it’s only a matter of time.

What I’ve learned is that these companies tend to have a few things in common. They lost sight of or never understood the basics of the business. They didn’t build an organization that is designed to look ahead and drive toward a common goal with a sustainable and measurable plan.

Something isn’t right. The people. The processes. The execution and accountability. The overall strategy. Something.

Where do we begin?

First, admit you have a challenge. Then, decide what you want to do about it.

Often, making big changes requires big changes to the mindset and beliefs of your team. For most companies, we recommend looking very closely at the culture. Don’t confuse culture with HR—it’s much more than that. Culture is the culmination of a lot of things—it clearly begins with the people. Their beliefs, their communications, their alignment. But it extends into operational excellence and technologies as well. Technology??? Yes, technology is either the great enabler or the great roadblock to almost everything you do.

A good culture can handle and implement change effectively. A bad culture can kill change before it even starts.

As odd as it may sound, if you are serious about creating a great field leadership, start with your internal corporate leadership. Your field knows what is going on in the home office. They can feel it if things are not “right.” They know when key team members are out of their element or less than qualified for the job. They know when your staff isn’t happy or is overly stressed. You are not hiding anything from them. So, focus on making it right at home.

Commit to creating the culture you want. You can’t be another company, so stop trying. Be the best company you can be. Be different. Be special. Be something and someone your people believe in and are willing to fight for.

If you make the decision about what you want to create, be relentless in your effort to achieve it. Make sure your decisions are leading there. Provide the tools, processes and training that help your people to get there, too.

Putting in the Work

Over the past few years, I’ve worked closely with a company who had had challenges, to put it politely. Their field had lost trust in their decision-making and follow through. They didn’t believe the company would execute fully on almost any idea they came up with. And, as a result, the complaints were rolling in. The CEO was overwhelmed with calls, emails and texts from disgruntled distributors. It was daunting.

Working closely with the CEO and executive team, we focused on creating a different culture. One where the people inside the company could provide ideas and solutions and get them done. We worked on empowering people and providing the tools, training and confidence they needed. We wanted them to identify and resolve problems without asking for permission. Just fix it!

Because it involved every department in the company, we started by working to make the customer experience extraordinary. They told the distributors that they were on a mission to make their experience better. They put a stake in the ground and committed to making it happen. No excuses!

They asked questions and listened, identifying the challenges and perceived roadblocks standing in the way of success. They worked on making deliveries better. They made dramatic advances in outbound communications to better manage and deliver on expectations. They worked on technology to make the ordering process better and easier. They made the first experience for the new customer extraordinary and provided incentives to gather feedback from every customer. They created a new way of communicating with field leadership to bridge any gaps that may have existed.

And more. Much more.

None of those things, alone, would have made a significant impact. In fact, none of them, alone, were very difficult to do. It took a collective willingness and commitment to “get it done” and a person inside the company to create a forum of accountability and communication.

Over the course of just a few months, a funny thing happened. Their people, inside the company, started to believe they could make a difference. And then they did. They took control of the problems and made their customers (both retail and distributors) happy.

The customers and distributors felt it. Something changed. They couldn’t really put their finger on it, but things felt different—things felt better.

Then, the CEO looked up one day and said to me that he didn’t recall the last time he had received a call from a disgruntled distributor. They had stopped complaining. They believed in the company again. They were happy.

It all started with a focus on the internal team.

Ok, so now you have a higher-performing, engaged and happier team…Now what?

This is where the real work (and fun) begins.

Alignment. Change. Belief.

We have found that it is important to create true alignment with your executive team. Things have changed but have all the people changed too? Have they altered their belief in the organization? Are they leading from this new perspective? Face it, companies who have been around for years or, perhaps, decades, have people on the team who tend to see the business through a specific lens. Perhaps, they even see it at a specific point in time—“the good old days.” Those team members, who we love and value for all of their contributions, can be the most stubborn when it comes to change.

Personal and professional development is crucial in order to manage change. The same beliefs and skills will not deliver new results. This effort begins with the executive level but should extend throughout the organization.

Be very intentional when it comes to developing your team. Make sure the tools and training you provide align clearly with the outcomes you are trying to deliver to the company, the people and the shareholders.

Because knowledge and insight into the nuances and intricacies of our channel is so important—and, at times, so hard to come by—I strongly recommend allocating resources to the development of that knowledge within your corporate team. Resources like DSN’s Membership Program can provide a wealth of outstanding industry content and expertise to all your employees. It’s not all you need but it is a “cheat code” when it comes to learning industry-specific ideas. Onboarding and teaching best practices in our industry is now at our fingertips.

Outside resources can be a tremendous asset when it comes to developing your team and creating the alignment needed to reach the next level. If you are willing, there are experts who can help with topics ranging from marketing/branding, alignment/communications, execution and so much more.

The truth is, once you get to the point where you have accountability and alignment, there will be a number of other areas that must be addressed. These include:

• Simplifying your processes
• Mission/Vision/Values
• Branding/Messaging
• Product strategy
• Compensation strategies
• Customer obsession
• Optimizing execution
• Communication strategies
• Technologies
• Field enablement
• And more

It takes time to do it right. It takes the right people with the right expertise. It takes some serious “soul-searching” and debate on each and every topic. And it takes a relentless passion to never stop until you have made every aspect of the business better.

Going back to basics is hard but, by doing them a step at a time, anyone can make it happen. Be disciplined and know that the effort to focus on the fundamentals is worth it. 

Paul Adams has been involved in the direct selling channel for more than 30 years. Over the decades, he has worked with hundreds of companies and been a trusted advisor in boardrooms with countless executive teams. From corporate giants to pre-startup, Paul has helped companies invent, reinvent and solidify their messaging, strategy and execution.

From the February 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Back to Basics first appeared on Direct Selling News.

When are they going to realize I’m a fraud? is a secret and lurking question that haunts even the most successful. For some people, the private doubting sounds more like, What if I’m not the right person for this job? or What if I don’t have what it takes and fail?

The doubts echo differently, but the effect is so common that psychologists have given it the name “impostor syndrome.” This phenomenon establishes a psychological pattern of doubting one’s accomplishments while elevating the abilities of others and results in an internalized fear that eventually everyone will see you for who you really are: a fraud.

This belief that luck—not accomplishments, talent or qualifications—is the reason for a person’s success was first diagnosed as a syndrome in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance, Ph.D., and Suzanne Imes, Ph.D. Since then, researchers have discovered more about the phenomenon, learning that it strikes both men and women and doesn’t discriminate between job titles. It creeps into both the new intern’s cubicle and the corner offices of the C-suite alike.

It’s natural to assume that these persistent feelings of unworthiness might plague the worker just getting started, or to even chalk them up to nerves or inexperience. But why would executives who had worked their way up the ladder of success with experience and proven results—men and women who were chosen and hired for their ability to lead and inspire others—feel inadequate, unqualified or unworthy of their high-ranking job title?

The C-Suite Isn’t a Superpower

The answer begins with the mental image most of us subconsciously carry of what a chief executive should be: a tall and charismatic, visionary leader with Ivy League credentials who possesses laser-focused precision while making rapid-fire decisions. Add to all those exclusive characteristics the gender and racial bias elephants in the room, and the result is a typecast CEO in a role that very few people could play. This is the abrasive, well-dressed hero seen in improbable movie plotlines who saves the company at the last minute against all odds—a fantasy, but not reality.

Expectations like these are enough to make the average leader—even one with a portfolio full of awards, gleaming profit margins, and recommendation letters—question their abilities.

“Experience is cumulative. We all make bad decisions. Leaders get back up, dust themselves off, and quickly move on. Your organization depends on it.”
— Jere Thompson, Jr., Ambit Energy Co-Founder and CEO

The fears that resonate among those who sit at the head of the table aren’t much different from the fears that haunt the people who report to them. Underachieving, appearing foolish or too vulnerable, and being politically attacked by their coworkers ranked high in a 2014 Harvard Business Review study. The aftershocks of these fears, however, had a compounded impact because of their rank and were shown to create a ripple effect across the organization. As CEOs would become overcautious or take bad risks to compensate for their concerns, the way they acted out through their personal anxieties created an example of bad behavior that undermined the tiers of leadership below them as they followed suit.

But the ultimate fear of CEOs in this study is one that supplies an ideal catalyst for developing and nurturing an unhealthy struggle with the impostor syndrome: the fear of being incompetent.

Aren’t these Fears Natural?

Before standing at the helm of the multibillion-dollar Ambit Energy empire as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jere Thompson, Jr. remembers being plagued with nagging doubts about his own abilities. “When I started my first company and was told that the initial critical financial commitment had been approved, I was absolutely terrified,” Thompson says. “I couldn’t sleep that first night, and I was wide awake in a cold sweat, afraid that I might fail. I had never run a company, much less started one from scratch.”

And he’s not alone. Struggling with insecurity on the inside, even while appearing confident on the outside, is a common battle for individuals who hold the highest authority in their organizations. “Absolutely, I have struggled with this, and a lot of my friends involved in the industry have shared that they have too at some point in their career,” says Team National President and CEO Angela Loehr Chrysler. “I think it’s a normal aspect of caring about those you lead. As leaders, our decisions can affect thousands of individuals that trust and believe in our company, our mission and our product.”

However, as the study discovered, it isn’t the fear itself that renders a leader ineffective. In fact, according to an article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, 70 percent of people experience impostor feelings at some point. Most executives even view fear as a natural part of leading or taking a business to the next level.

“The more I learn, listen, read, study and work on my own leadership, the more confident I become and the more wisdom I have to tap into as needed.”
— Angela Loehr Chrysler, Team National President and CEO

Fear may have haunted them at times, but as successful CEOs in the industry, Thompson and Loehr Chrysler have proven that the fears did not overcome them, nor have they negatively impacted their companies, as would be the case for someone with true impostor syndrome. So how did they come face-to-face with their fears and emerge victorious? What actions did they take to resiliently push back against their insecurities in order to build and lead profitable and thriving organizations? While it would be wise to consider the traits they possess and the habits they practice, the behaviors and characteristics they avoid are just as important to note.

Symptoms that Lead to Ineffective Leadership

Among those with heightened feelings of fraudulence, impostor syndrome expert Valerie Young found a pattern of predictable beliefs and behaviors that prevented them from effective leadership. Impostors expected perfection, setting almost unreasonable expectations and then drowning in failure, dwarfed by their own seeming incompetence. They were hesitant to make decisions, requiring every single data point before a decision could be made for fear they would be presumed stupid if the incorrect choice was made. They urgently needed to complete tasks on their own merits, without asking for help and frequently pushed themselves harder than their peers in an ironic effort to prove they were not impostors.

When asked what sets great executives like himself apart, CEO Jere Thompson responded with “Leaders must lead,” Thompson says. “They must make prompt decisions, set and execute priorities, attract and retain great people, delegate, and establish and live the values of the organization. You aren’t going to be right all of the time.”

The Successful CEO: It’s Not Who You Think

The glossy magazine cover CEO feeds the impostor syndrome mentality, but it is, of course, not necessarily reality. The Harvard Business Review addressed these misconceptions in their ten-year study of what specific attributes set apart the successful CEO (defined as one who exceeds the expectations of their board members and majority investors) in a project named the CEO Genome Project. What they found dismantled the common trope many executives struggling with impostor syndrome have internalized.

“A willingness to act on ideas and decisions are the greatest assets effective executives bring to the table.”

Although board members tended to initially gravitate toward the extroverted leader, the CEO Genome Project discovered that successful CEOs were often introverted. Charisma may get candidates shortlisted for a big promotion or new hire, the study showed, but it alone couldn’t determine longevity. And an elite education? The study found that only 7 percent of successful CEOs held an Ivy League pedigree and, in fact, 8 percent held no college degree at all. Virtually all CEOs in the study had made mistakes in the past, with almost half of them saying their mistake was so grave it cost them a previous job or created a financial hit for the company.

Successful leaders aren’t perfect it turns out. They don’t necessarily possess a magnetic personality or stand out as the most educated person in the room. And yet there’s something different about the CEOs in this study, and the CEOs we interviewed, that sets them apart from their peers. So what’s the key to unlocking their propensity for success?

High-Performance Actions & Habits

There is no one magic solution to transform someone into a high-performing CEO who is beloved by board members and shareholders alike. There are, however, crucial habits and actions that successful CEOs commonly exhibit that stave off the feelings of fraudulence and develop organizations that will confidently follow and collaborate alongside their leader.

In business as in relationships, trust is essential. That’s why three-quarters of the CEOs classified as successful in the CEO Genome Project’s study rated high on organization and planning. By creating a rhythm of meetings, accountability structures and methods for measuring performance, these CEOs were compulsively consistent in following through on their commitments. When it comes to leadership, delivering on time—every time—really does matter.

“I am boringly consistent,” Thompson says. “I have always been pretty good at making lists, prioritizing, focusing and then completing tasks. I have tried to be the same person in good times and in bad and no matter who I am with.”

Successful CEOs delegate and work well with others, but they also know how to keep momentum even when important voices are dissenting. Conflict management was a skill excelled in by two-thirds of the project’s successful CEOs. These CEOs listen to the echoes of voices from a variety of viewpoints without allowing them to slow down the process by waiting for consensus.

It’s no secret that the very best executives surround themselves with talented people in the areas in which they are not strong. When choices are on the table, the CEO Genome Project found that successful CEOs move quickly, even before all the data is presented. The problem with delving into the complexity of each decision, even when it results in making the right choice, is that it creates gridlock, frustrating hired talent or creating a slow-moving template that can cause the company to idle and eventually even stall. A wrong decision, the study found, was better than no decision at all.

“The moment arrogance sets in, or the I-can-do-no-wrong overconfidence clouds good judgment, then bad decisions and complacency will follow.”
— Jere Thompson, Jr.

A willingness to act on ideas and decisions are the assets effective executives bring to the table. And when a decision turns into a disappointment, or a market fluctuation sends plans spiraling, the high-performing CEO readily adapts. For these moments, there is no instruction manual, but the study found that the adaptable CEO was a successful CEO, and one who statistically spent more of their time—as much as half—focused on the future. They are not content to stay within their niche but instead research a wide swath of data and resources, even information unrelated to their industry, to check the pulse of the market and intuitively detect changes before they arrive.

Pick up your print copy of the November 2018 issue in which this article appeared.

“I think great leaders are caring, compassionate, transparent, humble, servant-minded and always learning,” Loehr Chrysler says. “They take advantage of time management skills and learn to listen to their inner voice and gut instinct while staying true to who they are and who their company is as well. The more I learn, listen, read, study and work on my own leadership, the more confident I become and the more wisdom I have to tap into as needed.”

A Little Fear Can Be Good

It’s true that a lot is riding on even the smallest decision a senior-level executive makes because more is at stake. But if the frustration or stress of that responsibility turns into emotional outbursts and negative body language, it can be a detriment to the entire organization. A study by the National Institutes of Health found that the moods of leaders directly impacted how well individual team members could execute strategy and collaborate. Even an offhand comment or sarcastic scoff could send a department reeling if misinterpreted, which explains why more than three-quarters of the high-performing CEOs in the CEO Genome Project scored high in being able to regulate their emotions. When you have the most power, you also typically have the most influence. That means that not only will employees and contractors follow their leader’s stride and style; they’ll also be looking for clues as to what to expect next. And when the buck stops with you, there’s no safety net on the other side.

The expectations, both real and imagined, that come with the promotion to the highest rung on the ladder of success can be daunting. But a little fear, it turns out, can sometimes be an excellent motivator. “Every C-suite level leader should be a little paranoid,” Thompson says. “The moment arrogance sets in, or the I-can-do-no-wrong overconfidence clouds good judgment, then bad decisions and complacency will follow. Both traits are company killers.”

When the fears feel tangible, as they did at one time for Thompson and Loehr Chrysler, a consistent commitment to decisiveness, creating momentum without waiting for consensus, adapting to meet the future, and steadily providing results can provide a course correction. And when the doubts seek to settle in, or a setback feels like a failure, it’s important to remember that a nameplate on the door of the C-suite does not a superhero make.

“Experience is cumulative,” Thompson says. “We all make bad decisions. Leaders get back up, dust themselves off, and quickly move on. Your organization depends on it.”

4 Things Successful CEO’s Do

The Harvard Business Review’s CEO Genome Project discovered that the successful CEO was almost obsessively consistent in at least one or more of the following four behaviors.

Successful CEO’s: decide with speed and conviction.
When this decisive behavior was present—even when all of the facts weren’t available, or the executive was in unfamiliar territory—the CEO was 12 times more likely to be high-performing.

Successful CEO’s: engage for impact.
Bringing stakeholders along without allowing them to sway the end result is almost an art form. These executives know how to recognize the motivations and dissents of key team members and cast vision that allows others to get on board without losing face. Though these CEO’s allow everyone’s input to be heard, they don’t allow others’ fears to change the course they have set.

Successful CEO’s: adapt proactively.
CEO’s spend most of their time preparing and thinking about the abstract—future results, teams that have yet to be created, problems that are lurking just around the corner—in order to sense changes on the horizon. They also see setbacks not as failures, but as opportunities for improvement.

Successful CEO’s: deliver reliably.
Predictability is safer. That’s why board members were more likely to pick the steadier, even lower producing candidate over the star executive with massive results if history didn’t illustrate those results over time.

The post Leadership and Fear first appeared on Direct Selling News.