Calling All Leaders: Yes, It’s You. You’re Causing Your Team (and You) Unrest

In this episode, “Calling All Leaders: Yes, It’s You. You’re Causing Your Team (and You) Unrest,” host Dana Tenille Weekes talks about how work environments are breeding grounds for burnout and performative practices.

Dana calls in (not out) leaders to assess how they show up and the impact they make by walking through five approaches leaders take that cause unrest within their teams (and within themselves).

What You’ll Settle Into

• Five approaches leaders adopt that cause unrest: (1) You do not model the standards you demand; (2) You recognize people’s strengths, but fail to recognize their inherent value; (3) You say “yes” without understanding or recognizing the skills and competencies, time, resources, and cognitive load of your team; (4) You share with your team, but fail to communicate with them; and (5) You act as if your title is magical.

Key Quotes & Insights

“Honestly, for my non-profit leaders out there … too many of you claim you’re fighting for the people, when you’re actually shadow boxing. This is due to the normalization of performative culture that sacrifices the communities we are supposed to serve.”

When leaders’ behaviors are inconsistent or contradictory, the line drawn is not one of respect and accountability but of likability (or worse, an us vs. them culture), because team members get to choose what to gravitate toward. And, often, people gravitate toward what they like, what is familiar, what makes them comfortable.

“I would say the number one sign that your team is at the brink of burnout or beyond is when they believe leadership does not recognize their inherent value.” 

When most of your team continuously lacks skills and competencies, there are no true standards to meet. And, when standards are absent, what often fills the void is a patchwork mindset, rather than a problem-solving or creation mindset.

A team is destined for burnout when they are stuck in crisis mode, but the crisis never needed to exist. In doing so, leaders create a reactive culture, which means team members will eventually be reactive toward your leadership as well.

“Too many leaders either want to be seen or work toward a brand because they have advanced into leadership based more on relationships, association, and popularity. They’ve relied on others to achieve real results and often claim credit or exaggerate their role.”

LENGTH: 28 minutes