There’s no doubt UK plc is witnessing too much management and not enough leadership, which is taking us towards a productivity crisis. From Mike Taylor, Managing Director – Accelerating Experience.
There is a chronic tendency among people in senior roles to default to micromanagement. This has resulted in disengaged workforces, stifling initiative in the workplace, and ultimately undermining businesses’ bottom lines.
Investment in leadership and high performing teams is often de-prioritised in periods of economic stress and times of uncertainty, such as Brexit. Never has there been a more pressing need for leaders to get out of the way and liberate talent throughout organisations to perform.
It’s not about culling managers, but about turning them into successful leaders who can lead others to perform well. This starts from the top with senior leaders acting as role models. Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Productivity Commission work is hugely important, but we also need to see companies acknowledge the issue and commit to changing leaders behaviour to see long-lasting benefits.
Improving the performance of executive teams is mission critical to crack the productivity crisis and accelerate growth. Business leaders need to have ambition and appetite to raise productivity as marginal gains can only be built on doing the basics well.