Here’s a simple litmus test for how well you’re doing as a leader: In times of trouble, do employees turn toward you for guidance, or do they run and hide?
When the latter happens, you have a cockroach culture in your organization — and you probably aren’t an effective leader. Your presence as CEO is like a light flicked on in a musty room. People scatter for the exits. They want to stay out of your way, disappear until whatever the issue is blows over. They’re in survival mode. Their prime strategy is avoidance.
The ideal for the CEO should rather be to draw people toward the light, like moths to a beacon. If catastrophe happens and people want to hear more from you, to be in your presence, then you’re operating on the moth model —and you probably are an effective leader. Which of the following most resembles your company culture?
Cockroach culture is an unpleasant phenomenon:
The CEO registers as a threat. He or she provokes stress by their mere presence.
Darkness is comfort. People don’t want to really think about the problems facing the organization. Stay in the walls. Come out later when it’s safe.
Rumor thrives. With everyone avoiding the light, competing agendas develop. The natural tendency to worry manifests in anxious whispers.
Individual first. Because these organizations lack strong leadership, people look out primarily for themselves. “Get through another day” is the mantra.
The moth model feels very different:
The CEO is a confidence-building presence. He or she communicates with authenticity and transparency. People seek out the CEO’s guidance—they want to hear more, not less.
The way ahead is lit. Employees aren’t afraid of looking at things in the light of day. If there’s an issue, they will assess it and work on it.
People understand the vision. Thanks to the CEO’s clear ownership of the vision, employees know where they are headed and the general plan for getting there.
Team first. The CEO has unified disparate parts of the organization into a team that actually enjoys working together to progress toward the goals.
This is a dynamic we should be aware of as CEOs, and it gives us an ideal to strive for. When disaster strikes, aim to be the leader people gravitate toward for direction, not scurry away from in fear.
