Letter to the FT 15 December 2008

Dear Editor

I was not surprised by the lack of confidence some managers have in their leaders in this economic downturn (Managers show a lack of confidence in chiefs: 9 December 2008).  In a business simulation we run to test thinking skills, we put leaders in a crisis situation not unlike the one we’re all facing at the moment and there are three classic responses:

1. Rabbit in the headlights – some leaders just freeze, they feel uncomfortable, find it very hard to change strategy to meet changing needs and fail to act or lead effectively

2. Bull in a china shop – other leaders do act, in fact that’s all they do, they have no clear focus, but they instigate lots of initiatives with no clear strategy and all they succeed in doing is making their managers anxious

3. Eagle on the hunt – the final group of leaders actually seem to thrive in crisis situations, they focus very sharply, they prioritise the right actions and they instill confidence in their people

I have no doubt that one of the reasons for business failure at the moment and in the future will be due to the ‘bulls’ and the ‘rabbits’ in charge of British businesses. We may not have noticed this weakness in their behaviour in calmer, munificent times, but we certainly will now.

Clearly, it’s not easy being a business leader in today’s environment and it can be very lonely at the top, but if leaders see themselves behaving like a ‘rabbit’ or a ‘bull’, they should act now to get some external counsel to become the ‘eagle’ their managers and employees really need.

Regards

Chris Parry