Can Leaders Learn? Especially Inept Ones?

The literature on leadership competence, at least in the nonprofit world (and one military paper I’ve read), estimates that between only 25% to 50% of current leaders of ministries and nonprofits are sufficiently competent to run their organization. Flaws run from not having financial acumen to serious and debilitating interpersonal leadership characteristics. Al Lopus of Best Christian Workplaces survey services once told me that a significant percentage, upwards of 50%, of the Christian ministries they survey have significant trust issues in their cultures! Lack of trust almost always derives from the latter class—interpersonal ineptness in leadership.

The question, then, is, can these executives be helped to become effective leaders that people want to work for? The answer is, “not easily and not usually.” They can be helped more easily with technical deficiencies. There is a saying in the personnel world that people are hired for their technical competence and fired for their interpersonal incompetence. In my experience that is certainly true.

In order for a leader to change or improve his or her interpersonal habits, he must admit and own often serious behavioral flaws that make him a jerk in the eyes of others. Marshall Goldsmith in his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There addresses 20 of these behaviors. He also explains what it takes to effect a change, including a meaningful apology to the staff! —And then a request for help from those same people. Most of his clients are at least motivated because they are under the gun of receiving no further promotion unless the behavior is fixed. Directors of nonprofits are not under such pressure, and are usually oblivious to their damaging behavior, and usually their boards are only vaguely aware of the serious cultural deterioration going on in the organization.