{"id":290,"date":"2016-06-01T06:47:55","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T14:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/encouragement.com\/blog\/?p=290"},"modified":"2016-06-01T06:47:55","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T14:47:55","slug":"squandering-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encouragement.com\/wordpress\/?p=290","title":{"rendered":"Squandering the Lead."},"content":{"rendered":"

Any sports fan knows the uneasy feeling when their team\u2019s lead begins to slip away \u2026 when things start going wrong, mistakes are made, momentum is lost, and doubts about the outcome arise.<\/p>\n

In the 2013 America\u2019s Cup (where 9 wins determine the victor), the host American boat, Oracle Team USA rallied from an 8 to 1 deficit to amazingly win the Auld Mug, the oldest trophy in international sports. One can only imagine the enormous frustration the Emirates Team New Zealand crew and country experienced as race-after-race they failed to close it out \u2013 eventually losing it all in a crushing defeat and the most heartbreaking loss in the 162-year history of the race.<\/p>\n

Leads can be squandered in business as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At work, leaders who once enjoyed a commanding lead \u2013 enthusiastic cooperation and participation in their initiatives \u2013 can eventually lose the support of their employees and falter.<\/p>\n

Things that never before presented a problem, become a struggle to achieve. A dark reality sets in and the results reflect it. People who were reliable and engaged, disconnect and fall away. The leader\u2019s former magic goes missing; perhaps gone forever?<\/p>\n

Many factors can be responsible for a leader\u2019s loss of influence, but when it builds over the years and gets to the point where they\u2019ve lost people\u2019s trust \u2013 they\u2019re toast.<\/p>\n

One cause to a leader\u2019s demise is the slow erosion that occurs when they take people and their work for granted. Leaders who either feel too important, or get preoccupied with other matters, can put too much distance between themselves and their employees. And distancing themselves, either consciously or unconsciously is a recipe for disaster \u2013 becoming unaware and unresponsive to the needs, feelings, and everyday issues confronting their workforce.<\/p>\n

Workers begin to wonder. And, when they wonder about their importance and value, they feel abandoned, uncared for, neglected. The response is a loss of interest and energy and a drop in performance.<\/p>\n

These are preventable problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone can be a short-term success. But long-term effectiveness is another matter. Leading for the long-term requires constant, on-going, regular, never-ending maintenance and renewal of the relational bonds that keep people passionate about their jobs, satisfied with the contributions they make, close to their leader, and proud of their role in the success of the organization.<\/p>\n

You can add two important words to the end of Winston Churchill\u2019s famous quote on persistence, \u201cNever, never, never give up\u201d \u2013 on people.<\/p>\n

It just proves you\u2019ve got to be present to win.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Jerry Strom<\/p>\n

Twitter: @JerryRStrom<\/em>. For more information about our leadership and team development programs, please visit <\/em>http:\/\/www.JerryStrom.com<\/em><\/a> . Join the mailing list to receive new articles as they are published. This article is based on research conducted for the *\u2018The Relationships Report: The Linkage between Leadership and Relationships,\u2019 by Jerry Strom & Company, Inc. Find \u2018How Leaders Build Relationships at Work\u2019 at <\/em>http:\/\/www.jerrystrom.com\/research\/js_relationships.html<\/em><\/a> short insights on Twitter at #RelationshipsRPT<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Any sports fan knows the uneasy feeling when their team\u2019s lead begins to slip away \u2026 when things start going wrong, mistakes are made, momentum is lost, and doubts about the outcome arise. 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