The Traits the Worst Leaders Have in Common (so that you can avoid them!)

I have written before about what great leaders should be like.

• How they’re empathetic
• How they’re humble, yet driven
• How they’re transparent, ethical and inspiring

As USA Gymnastics looks for it’s next CEO I remind myself, “don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good”. The President and CEO’s job is HUGE. There will be some great candidates who check many of the boxes we are looking for and could be great leaders. But what about the traits that make for poor leaders? I’ve been a traveling consultant for about 10 years. I’ve seen a variety of head coaches and club owners who are inspiring leaders and some who were cancerous. This has helped me determine the kind of leader I want to be today. I can draw on the lessons of the great leaders and learn from the negative experiences as well.

I work best when I am working FOR something and not just AGAINST something but ultimately, I believe I have to know how NOT to operate in order to be the most effective versions of myself. 

Here are the most harmful habits and traits I strive to avoid.

1. Operating with a lack of trust and transparency

Dishonesty is cancerous and difficult to cloak.

Which is to say, it poisons morale and makes your coworkers dislike you. And poisoned morale, of course, disrupts productivity and hinders your gym’s overall capacity for operating effectively.

If you think you can keep your team inspired while being dishonest to them about what’s happening behind closed doors, think again.

All of your staff — top to bottom — can tell when you’re lying to them.

In fact, there’s rarely a reason not to be entirely transparent with your team, especially at a gym where we employ young and energetic people. No matter the situation, your team deserves to understand what sort of logic or procedural mechanisms drive the decision-making processes at your company.

Moreover, people simply appreciate knowing where the gym stands — it inspires them. If you are honest, they will want to help shoulder more of the load.

2. Only pushing your own ideas

Great leaders and coaches seek creative solutions to thorny problems everywhere they look.

Ineffective leaders, on the other hand, approach problem-solving processes much more myopically.

They suffer from what I call “not-invented-here-syndrome.” I’ve experienced this first hand at a gym I worked at early in my career. The head coach  refused to listen to others, like me, who were lower on the proverbial totem pole.  I do not know if they ever realized how toxic this was for morale. Our ideas may NOT have worked but I think they at least deserved to be listed to. 

Club owners and head coaches  who don’t identify good ideas when they’re presented to them — even from the lowest employee on the team — stunt morale, potential, and, ultimately, their gym’s bottom line.

3. Playing the blame game

If you are the gym owner or head coach- The buck has to stop with you. You’re the one in charge. Unbreakable accountability is a burden you have to bear.

As it happens, a certain unwillingness to hold yourself accountable is a surefire sign of a cowardly leader. The worst leaders never accept responsibility for blunders, churned customers, or bad competitions. Instead, they expend effort looking for others to blame.

This, simply put, is unproductive, not to mention damaging. As a practice, it disincentivizes employees from taking risks or coming up with creative solutions to problems because they fear being the subject of the boss’s scorn. FIX THE PROBLEM, NOT THE BLAME. 

4. Not listening to your employees

Great coaches and gym owners understand that inspiration can come from every employee on staff.

Failing to understand this — or, worse, willfully ignoring it — is an indicator of a defective leader, and certainly of a leader who will NEVER achieve greatness. Discrediting those who work “below you” simply because they’re technically subordinates is a sign of ignorance, and makes it impossible to build a loyal, engaged, and faithful team.

As it happens, a loyal and inspired team is exactly what leaders are charged with cultivating.

5. Focusing on the now and short-changing the future

This trait, in particular, is difficult in today’s environment to correct. In the 24 hour news cycle — in which positive reports and news   meant to please anxious members take precedence above all other goals — it can be seen as sort of anthemic.

But great leaders prioritize and focus on projects and goals which will most benefit the company and are thus based in reality — not corporate hyperbole.

Prioritizing short-term goals risks long-term security.

6. Inconsistency

I have seen many coaches struggle with this.  They change their plan too often. I tell them – it is often not about the PLAN – it is about the FOLLOW THROUGH. 

Unfortunately, making a habit of that makes it difficult to achieve long-term goals. Strategy shifts must always be coordinated and well-thought out — not to mention transparent. The other coaches working with you should understand the logic informing the decisions you’re making, as well as the manner in which you’ve made them.

They have to believe that whatever decisions you’re making, you’re making for the betterment of the the team, the individual, the gym. It’s hard to remain confident in a leader who makes key decisions seemingly on a whim.

In fact, that sort of behavior only triggers confusion.

The central theme to all of these corporate failings is this: they erode trust and respect among your employees, and render you less effective as a leader in the long run.

At the end of the day, your employees and coworkers are your troops; they’re looking to be led. They need commanders they can depend on.

But in order to be that leader, you need to work consciously on developing the right sort of habits. Often, that starts with understanding how not to operate.

It may be time for USA Gymnastics to consider a TEAM of individuals to become interim leaders until a permanent CEO can be found.

Who knows, maybe the new CEO and  COO would be part of this team. 

To be an effective leader you need to preach patience and planning. Very often,  when I have rushed to make a decision the result is usually less than optimal. Being patient does not mean you are delaying or avoiding the inevitable. It is just waiting until you have the best information at hand. It is remembering the lesson of past mistakes and implementing a plan for the future. 

I have NO inside information on the hiring of the last 2 CEOs.  Full disclosure, I did apply for CEO in 2017. I was sent a letter that said there were many good candidates and that they would circle back around to me. I know others had received a letter that said Thank You but that they were not qualified. I guess I at least made the first cut.  I never heard from them again. Not even a letter that said they went in a different direction. 

The reality is that anyone WE (in the gymnastics world)  would really want as CEO would have business interests, sit on Boards of companies, or  possibly currently serving in congress. They would not be able to drop everything and start work at USA Gymnastics.  It will take at least 6 months for them to divest their interests, sell shares or put things in a blind trust to be ready to accept a leadership role. This is not like applying for a job at Best Buy where you fill out your application on a Tuesday and can start a shift on Saturday. It is going to take time to find the right person. Give that person time to transition out of their current situation and into a leadership role at USA Gymnastics. 

Rushing to get someone at the top is not going to help us. 

Do I know someone who would be a great CEO?  Yes. I know a few great candidates. Do I know a group of people who would make a great transition team? Yes. 

To know what we want in the transition team we need to know what we would want for CEO. Please remember, these are my ideas, I am speaking for no one other than myself. Please feel free to share YOUR ideas in the comment section.

• Come from INSIDE the industry. They need to be able to speak our language. 
• Be a great communicator for both INSIDE and OUTSIDE communications. 
• Have a strong background in business and understand the complex financial situation USA Gymnastics is in. 
• Have experience working with a Board of Directors.
• Be a team player. Not a bully. The National office is understaffed and I am sure morale is pretty low. They need someone they can rally behind. 
• Be able to build alliances through out the sport (between NCAA, Suppliers, and different disciplines)
• Values Education. We need to continue to educate our professionals. Not just on safety and welfare but on technique and science. 
• Be able to speak before US Congress, legal teams, and World Leaders.
• Work with Athletes, Professional Members and Club Owners to see our sport grow and become the gold standard in athlete safety. 
• Be able to reach out to potential sponsors. 
• Understand the true meaning of “Transparency” and “empowerment” 

The transition team needs to start sooner rather than later. An added benefit of a TEAM approach is that it is easier to replace one member of a team instead of the head of the organization. The transition team will need to be diverse to fill all those needs. They need to be diplomats not bullies. 

Strategic thinkers who will be able to implement short and long term plans. Build morale in the office and build confidence in the gymnastics community. Hire great minds, not just who is available and cheap. Work with the legal team and Board of Directors to navigate the legal issues facing USA Gymnastics. Work with Club Owners and Professional Members ensuring their voices are heard and that the organization reflects the needs of the membership. 

Work with the survivors and their families. Help them find closure and have them help the federation move forward and put policies in place that would make us all safer. 

As a coach, I have spent my career building people up. The mark of a good leader is that they work to make EVERYONE around them better. I believe in what USA Gymnastics can be. What it should be. I think we can find a team and a leader who can build it up. Not burn it down. Individuals who will replace the parts that are not working. Growth and Change are always difficult but necessary. USA Gymnastics has made far too many mistakes in it’s rush to find a fast solution. If we do not get this next one right- there is probably not going to be another chance. 

Once again we find gymnastics in the news. Those of us IN the industry – we are not helping ourselves when we post and share only negative news. 

WE HAVE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING 

• There are hundreds of clubs across the nation doing fundraisers for clubs damaged in Hurricane Michael. 

• There are clinicians and coaches traveling throughout the world hosting clinics and training camps sharing the knowledge which we gained in the USA.

• Our Men’s and Women’s team are in Doha preparing for World Championships. 

• Remember all the great things you are doing as a coach in the USA. 
• Remember all the great things your club does giving back to the community. 
• Remember that you are making a positive difference in the lives of children. A gymnast you have in class today may grow up to be a doctor that finds a cure for cancer. They will fail many times in their research but they learned about moving on from failure from you. 
• A gymnast on your team who struggles through conditioning make grow up to be a fire fighter who rescues a larger adult because they learned perseverance from gymnastics. 
• A gymnast on your team who barely makes it to practice on time because her life is so busy may grow up to be a world leader. 
• That young coach who works for you who is so excited to learn and share their knowledge may one day become president of the federation. 

Yes- we must own our failures.We must educate our community and do better, but we also must be proud of everything our gymnastics community has done , is doing and will do going forward! #GymnasticsStrong #GymnasticsProud #TogetherWeAreBetter.

Today- look forward to what we can do and Be proud of our accomplishments. 

I have so much respect for each one of you. I thank you. 

I am merely a reflection of your greatness. 

Tony