Power struggles are an inevitable part of leadership, so expect challengers and be ready to defend your seat at the table.
Power struggles are an inevitable occurrence along the leadership journey. Some usurpers will rise up to challenge your authority and it may present a real threat to your continued leadership in the organization. This can be a particularly difficult situation for the leader as often the greatest challenges come from someone you have grown and developed over the years. You may have a blind spot for this person who has become a bit of a kindred spirit. However, your trust can be misplaced to dire consequences.
Even when you do become aware of the impending insurgency, it’s easy to keep ignoring it, because acknowledging the truth means going to war. In a world where we normally try to win together through reasonable compromise, the true leader needs to understand that some battles will require that the winner takes all. The truth is that having a lack of clarity at the leadership position in an organization can lead to an irreparable schism. When these situations develop, you must make the difficult choice to engage in a contest where only one leader comes out alive.
Power struggles take an incredible toll on an organization. People take sides, morale declines, culture goes in the garbage, and once sweet relationships become bitter. Even more so, once a power struggle is allowed to develop, there becomes a point when there will be an inevitable loss of followers. The truths of the present will be lost in the chaos of battle and when it’s over people will feel like winners and losers. Everyone will spin their stories in the aftermath and a new reality will develop in divergent paths.
So how should the true leader navigate legitimate threats to authority in the organization?
- Understand the difference between people challenging you as a leader and outright disloyalty. Just because someone from your senior staff disagrees with you in private, doesn’t mean they are planning a coup. However, when hurt feelings spill over into sidebar conversations, deals are being cut behind closed doors, and after-hours support rallies begin to occur, then you know you have a problem brewing. This highlights the extreme need for leaders to work hard to repair hurt feelings and continue relationship maintenance in the wake of intense confrontational moments. The more of these you let pass without addressing them, the further apart you will drift in spirit. Whatever the case may be, once you have identified a real problem, it’s time to focus on getting ready for battle.
- Trying to work things out with your enemy is your best option. You’ll need to go off-site and get to a place where you can both be brutally honest and not worry about the ears of the organization hearing your shouts of frustration and moments of anger. Oftentimes the usurper has developed some unresolved anger toward you as the leader. It could have grown from past injuries, or it could simply be that they are chafing under the lid of your leadership. They feel like you are holding them back and they don’t understand why. It’s completely reasonable that this may be the first time you’ve heard these complaints, so have a humble heart and be prepared to acknowledge where you have made mistakes.
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Try to establish the leadership arrangement you can both work with going forward. If you can get in alignment on a path forward, great. However, if you hit an impasse, there may be no other outcome but a split. Once you come to this realization, the predicating moments are going to be particularly unappealing. In one option you step aside and acknowledge the end of a chapter in your journey. The other option is making the decision to remove the usurper from the organization. In either situation there will be fallout, but that is simply the reality of the situation. What you must work to do quickly is gather those loyal to your leadership and begin the process of healing and creating a new vision for the future.
Unfortunately, there won’t immediately be a time for mourning. If you spend too much time wallowing, you may well end up losing the rest of those who have chosen to stay with you. A brave face in the midst of turmoil will provide the confidence everyone desperately needs to quiet their anxiety and allow them to focus on the work ahead.
Take five minutes and consider, is there a challenge to your leadership that you have been ignoring? Do you need to engage in a battle to bring clarity at the leadership position in your organization?
I’ve been both the usurper and the rightful leader along my journey. I have had to deal with challenges to my leadership. Some I let linger too long and other times I have acted decisively. The true leader will have the wisdom to recognize the potential issues before they become a problem that leads to schism and disaster. Don’t ignore your gut feelings and don’t delay acting when necessary.
Brandon Pinkerton, PE is the founder and CEO of HP Engineering. Contact him at bpinkerton@hpengineeringinc.com.