Why wouldn’t leaders tell their followers the “why” behind change?
Not a question I hear frequently, perhaps because it’s not easily answered. In fact, there may be no single, simple answer. Individual leader’s reasoning on this may be quite idiosyncratic – dependent on the particular context and individuals involved – and therefore not generalizable.
That said, I want to dip my toe into “theoretical la-la land” for a moment, and posit a possible shared trait among senior leaders who are reluctant to or won’t tell their people the “why” behind a change initiative.
Have you met leaders who fit this bill:
- Having a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of automatic compliance with his or her expectations?
- Lacking empathy, so unwilling to recognize the impact their actions have on the feelings or needs of others?
- Arrogant in their behavior or attitudes?
It would not be a surprise if most of you nodded your heads as your read through these descriptions. But would it surprise you to find out that they were derived from the discussion of narcissism in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (IV)? It surprised me.
Strategic Leadership Communication 