Are You Experiencing Leadership Drift?

As a leader, it is critical to stay on track. What I mean is it is vital that leaders stay on top of their game. Leaders must focus on the vision, mission, and values of the organization. Leaders must focus on serving their customers and/or the people served by their organization. Leaders must also focus on helping those they work with succeed. These attributes are helpful for you personally as you grow as a leader and advance in your career. They are also essential for the organization you belong to.

Leadership drift happens when you lose sight of what is important. It happens when you take your eye off of your goal. At one time or another, leadership drift happens to all of us. It is almost inevitable. You can mitigate its effect and take corrective action sooner, but you will likely not avoid it entirely.

Drift Examples

When a basketball player lines up for that 3 point jump shot, a small mistake at the release point can result in a missed shot or even a missed goal.

Likewise, a baseball pitcher can miss the plate by releasing the ball too early or too late.

A rocket launched by NASA to the moon must have the exact coordinates. If it is off by one degree at launch, it will be off course by 92 feet at one mile. I know that doesn’t seem like much. However, the rocket will not even come close to the moon. It will miss it by 4,169 miles.[i]

A small amount of drift can make a big difference.

If the drift is not caught early enough and corrected, it can have disastrous results.

In 1979, a plane full of passengers left New Zealand for Antarctica on a sightseeing trip. The airplanes flight coordinates were altered by two degrees.

Not really much when you think about it. In fact, the pilots did not even notice.

Unfortunately, that two degrees resulted in the flight being off by 28 miles when it reached its destination.

The outcome of that small change was deadly.

The pilots flew the airplane directly into the side of a volcano, Mount Erebus, and all 257 passengers died.[ii]

A small amount of drift can make a big difference in the outcome. It is important to recognize drift and to correct it as soon as possible.

But how do you recognize leadership drift when it happens to you?

Here are four signs you are experiencing leadership drift.

Lack of Enthusiasm

How do you feel when everything is going your way? If you are like me, you are full of energy and enthusiasm. You can’t wait to get out of bed and get to work. The sun seems to be shinning every day.

If you are experiencing leadership drift, you lack that enthusiasm. Getting out of bed might be difficult. You might even dread going to work.

Leadership drift must be checked quickly, or it can negatively affect those around you who feed off of your enthusiasm.

Not Interested in Receiving Feedback

Frequent feedback helps leaders stay on track as individuals and keeps the organization heading in the right direction.

When leadership drift happens, leaders become less interested in receiving feedback from others. Instead, they become set in their ways and beliefs.

A leader experiencing leadership drift is internally focused and closed off to others.

This lack of feedback, which ultimately is a form of checks and balances, can take the entire organization off course.

Disconnected From Peers

I enjoy attending law enforcement conferences like the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. It is an excellent opportunity to interact with my peers, discuss relevant topics, exchange great ideas and lift each other up.

I look forward to these conferences each year and also look forward to the periodic meetings with my peers on various committees and organizations I belong to as well.

Forgetting the Mission and Goals of Organization

Leaders experience leadership drift when they begin chasing rabbits that take them further and further away from the core mission of the organization.

It is easy to get distracted by a shiny new program or initiative. There is nothing wrong with new programs and initiatives as long as they are in line with the mission, goals, and values of the organization.

You may be very busy and working on many important projects.

However, you may be leading the members of your team down the wrong path, taking them further and further away from what is essential to your organization.

Conclusion

Leadership drift can happen to anyone from a Sergeant up to and including the Chief of Police. I think it happens most often when we as leaders get complacent in our job and take our eye off the ball.

By staying laser-focused on what’s important, keeping connected to others and maintaining your enthusiasm, you can avoid the risk of leadership drift or at least mitigate its effect on you as a leader, and more importantly, on your organization.

[i] www.christoculture.com/blog/the-one-degree-difference

[ii] www.theladders.com/career-advice/if-youre-too-busy-for-these-5-things-your-life-is-more-off-course-than-you-think

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