Presenter
Best Practice Institute
Best Practice Institute
- Consider the fundamental question "How can you extend your practice in helping difficult leaders change?"
- Explore what it means to be relational in the corporate setting and how that translates to the practice of being an effective leader
- Learn how to use these concepts to engage difficult leaders to help them change for their own good and that of the organization
Key Takeaways
- 1.Difficult leaders are often brilliant and results-focused but have an abrasive personality that negatively impacts teams.
- 2.The negative behaviors of difficult leaders include angry outbursts, controlling behaviors, and withholding key information.
- 3.Wasted time, divisiveness, and drops in productivity and morale are common consequences of difficult leadership.
- 4.Terry Real's methodology focuses on addressing the underlying part of a leader's personality that resists using new skills.
- 5.Effective intervention strategies can promote behavioral change in abrasive or inconsiderate leaders.
- 6.Leaders can apply these principles by assessing their own style and engaging directly with difficult individuals rather than avoiding them.
- 7.Organizations can shift their culture from accommodating difficult behaviors to fostering constructive collaboration.
The Challenge of the Brilliant but Abrasive Leader
Many organizations have leaders who are brilliant, aggressive, and highly effective at driving results. However, their abrasive personalities or lack of consideration for others can create a toxic work environment. These individuals often miss the impact their behavior has on individuals and teams, leading to widespread distress and dysfunction.
The Organizational Impact of Difficult Leadership
The presence of a difficult leader can have severe consequences for an organization. Productivity, motivation, and morale often take a significant hit as team members are forced to navigate a challenging interpersonal landscape. Common negative effects include:
- Destructive Behaviors: Angry outbursts, controlling actions, and withholding key information distract other key players from their tasks.
- Wasted Time: An inordinate amount of time is spent refereeing fights or having behind-the-back discussions to manage the leader's behavior.
- Eroding Culture: Divisiveness spreads as other employees either become difficult themselves or work around the leader as a survival mechanism.
A New Approach to Behavioral Change
This webinar explores the methodology of relationship expert and bestselling author Terry Real and his colleagues at The Relational Life Institute. While other approaches focus on teaching leadership skills, Real's method addresses the core issue. As Real states, "We deal with the part of them that won’t use them." The central idea is that to create change, one must boldly name and address the chronic distress these leaders cause.
Strategies for Effective Intervention
Attendees will learn a framework for creating meaningful behavioral change and improving team dynamics. The session focuses on providing actionable strategies to address these complex leadership challenges.
Understanding the Dynamics
- Identify the key characteristics and organizational impact of difficult leaders.
- Gain insight into the underlying psychological dynamics that drive these challenging behaviors.
Fostering Change and Cohesion
- Learn effective intervention strategies to promote behavioral change in abrasive leaders.
- Discover methods to prevent divisiveness and improve team cohesion.
- Explore techniques to shift the organizational culture from accommodating difficult behaviors to fostering constructive collaboration.
Applying These Principles for a Healthier Culture
Leaders can apply these insights by first conducting an honest assessment of their own leadership style and its impact on others. The webinar provides frameworks for direct, constructive engagement with difficult leaders, moving beyond avoidance. By understanding the 'why' behind the behavior, leaders can develop better intervention strategies, build more empathetic teams, and cultivate a culture of mutual respect and high performance.
This session addresses the pervasive challenge of working with difficult leaders—individuals who, despite their potential, create significant distress and dysfunction within organizations. It explores the root causes of their behavior and provides actionable methodologies for fostering positive change, thereby improving team dynamics and overall productivity.
What you'll learn
- How to identify the characteristics and impact of difficult leaders within an organization.
- Understanding the underlying psychological dynamics that drive challenging leadership behaviors.
- Strategies for intervening effectively to promote behavioral change in abrasive or inconsiderate leaders.
- Methods to prevent divisiveness and improve team cohesion when faced with leadership challenges.
- Techniques to shift organizational culture from accommodating difficult behaviors to fostering constructive collaboration.
Who this webinar is for
This webinar is designed for:
- HR professionals and organizational development specialists dealing with workplace conflict and low morale.
- Senior leaders and executives seeking to improve leadership effectiveness and team performance.
- Managers struggling to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics with their superiors or peers.
- Consultants advising organizations on culture change and leadership development.
- Anyone interested in fostering healthier, more productive work environments.
Why it matters now
While this webinar was recorded in 2009, the insights into working with difficult leaders remain highly relevant. In today's hybrid and remote work environments, effective leadership and healthy team dynamics are more critical than ever. Unaddressed difficult behaviors can quickly erode trust, reduce engagement, and lead to burnout. Understanding how to manage and transform these challenges is key to maintaining organizational resilience and fostering a supportive culture.
How leaders can apply this
Leaders can apply the principles discussed by first honestly assessing their own leadership style and its impact on others. For those managing difficult leaders, the webinar provides frameworks for direct and constructive engagement rather than avoidance. It encourages understanding the 'why' behind behaviors to better inform intervention strategies. Furthermore, leaders can use these insights to build stronger, more empathetic teams capable of navigating complex interpersonal challenges and fostering a culture of mutual respect and high performance.
About this session
Key takeaways
Watching this webinar gives you grounded, practical perspective on Growth. Expect ideas you can use in leadership conversations, not abstract theory, drawn from Best Practice Institute's direct experience.
Who this is for
CHROs, HR business partners, talent leaders, executive coaches, organizational development practitioners, and senior leaders who are responsible for systemic collaboration inside their organization.
Why it matters now
Workforce expectations, hybrid work patterns, and AI-driven change keep raising the bar on culture and leadership. Sessions like this help leaders make smarter, more evidence-informed decisions about Growth.
How to apply it
Use the ideas here to challenge a current assumption on your team, design a single concrete experiment in the next 30 days, and bring one finding back to your leadership group for discussion.
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