Now that I have your attention…yes, I said become a BAD leader.  In the first Wisdom installment of “Bad Leaders,” we examined how to thrive and not survive under bad leadership.  In this installment we are going to examine how to be a “BAD” leader…a really good one.  By now you are likely scratching your head, especially if you read part one and understand all the damage a bad leader can inflict on his or her organization.   So why on earth would you want to seek to be a BAD leader, let alone be good at it?  It is because we are talking about Bold, Audacious, Disruptive leaders; the good kind of bad…B.A.D.

Bold, audacious, disruptive leaders move organizations forward and upward.  They take known, calculated, smart risks to achieve results.  By doing so, they will sometimes experience and accept failure.  With that failure, they fail forward and they learn from the mistakes.  Furthermore, they share the successes, but they own the failure as the leader.  I grew up under the guiding principle, if you’re not failing, you aren’t trying hard enough.  Are you patting yourself on the back because you met 100% of your objectives or targets?  My first question would be, did you set them high enough?

As a young fighter pilot, I learned the lesson early on setting challenging objectives.  I walked into a flight briefing one day as number four in a flight of four going to the bombing range.  As number four, I was the youngest, least experienced wingman in the flight.  The three objectives for our sortie listed on the board that day were “four up/four down, learn something new, have fun.”  As the young wingman in the flight, I loved these objectives as I really couldn’t screw anything up other than crash (four up/four down meant we brought the same number of jets home that we took off with…somewhat expected when not in combat).  As I sat in the briefing room getting prepared for the start of our flight briefing, I watched our chief instructor pilot pull the flight lead out of the room.  He quickly addressed his lacking objectives for our flight and strongly recommended he re-vamp them or not fly at all.  I quickly took a note.

If you don’t set tough objectives for your team, you won’t improve, develop or grow.  Easy objectives are the enabler of the status quo.  If you want to improve, you must fail sometimes.  Our greatest lessons are learned through failure.  Scar tissue is our body’s reminder of how to avoid repeating mistakes.  When we achieve success unscathed, nothing is physically left behind.  Nature tells us where the most learning takes place - in failure.

Leadership is no different.  The greatest difference is that you as the leader get the scar tissue when your subordinates fail; that is if you are doing it correctly.  Too many leaders these days look to “survive” their current position in hopes of moving up to the next level by avoiding failure at the current one.  In this model, they do not excel, their organization does not advance, and they simply work to avoid making any mistakes.  There is a terrible mantra out there that says, “if I don’t make a decision, I can’t make a bad or incorrect one.”  If subscribed to, this places indecisiveness ahead of decisiveness as an attribute for our leaders.  Would anyone subscribe to that? 

Words matter.  If I said, “bold leader” you would likely be attracted to that person; but if I said “risk taker,” it might give you pause.  If I said, “he or she is consistent,” you would likely react differently than if I told you they were “risk adverse” or were “satisfied with the status quo.”  It is a matter of perspective.

Disruption is another word that arguably triggers a negative reaction in many people.  In contrast, innovation typically results in a positive one.  What is the difference?  The generally agreed upon definition of disruption is to break apart or throw into disorder while innovation is to effect change in something.  Read closely and I will ask again, what is the difference?

Disruptors are change agents.  They challenge the status quo.  They are the enemy of the status quo.  They ask why.

Organizations that are comfortable with the status quo fear disruptors.  They resist change and those who might challenge existing systems and methodology.  If your organization wants to grow, improve, and dominate, then disruptors are what you need.  They will seek out stagnation and question processes.  It does not mean that they find faults; but they do require the organization take an introspective look at why they do things and in the way they execute.  At a minimum, the team understands the why behind their task or mission; if the why is not apparent, then a potential deficiency or inefficiency is identified and corrected.

This is not to say that unbridled, raw risk is what it takes to succeed.  The point is that calculated, smart risk is required if you are to move your team or organization forward.  That risk does not always result in reward or success.  Accept there will be failure along the way.  As the leader, you own it, learn from it, and ensure the team fails forward.  Extract the lessons learned, adjust your approach, and keep driving ahead.

If you have a team, division, or an entire organization that is stagnating or in decline, you need to look at bringing in a BAD leader.  Set your ego aside and admit you have not been able to identify or fix the issue.  Shake things up.  There may be an initial choking reflex by the organization, but once they see a new vector that involves progress, they will be all in and see your vision.  It does not come without short term cost; you need to pay that bill to reap the long-term dividend.

Take some smart risk and lean forward in the straps.  Be bold, be audacious, and be disruptive.  Your people will thank you.  Be the right type of BAD leader!

Authored By: Scott Campbell, Managing Director