What does it cost to do nothing? We, at VIM Executive Coaching, are reminded of a wise business school professor who was taking us through a “decision tree.” He said something we don’t think of too often “remember my friends, doing nothing is also a decision.”
It is a critical lesson for executive leaders.
The Status Quo
In Latin (and you thought high school Latin would be useless!) Status quo means the "existing state." Or, another way to put it, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Many an executive has glorified and deified the status quo. It falls under the heading of “It’s the way we’ve always done it.” It is the opposite of dynamic and while it does not appear to be a major decision, in fact it is a really big deal.
We can all point to examples of companies that did nothing and “nothing” took them right into bankruptcy. Name your industry or even non-profit, and chance are you can find an organization that did nothing and rode into the sunset.
To take it a step further, if we were to closely, microscopically, examine those organizations we would undoubtedly find executives who tried to fight the status quo and wound up leaving, demoted or terminated. When an organization encourages doing little or nothing, chances are anyone fighting that change will be viewed as an interloper.
The Personal Level
However, there is an entirely different dynamic we should examine. What of an executive within a dynamic organization who values the status quo life? This executive is the opposite of what was once considered the “Company Man (Woman).” As organizations have expanded and changed, there are indeed status quo executives who can’t understand why they can’t get ahead or why they are having problems in moving on to new positions.
The status quo type of leadership is no longer valued. To that end, it is important to differentiate between loyalty and the status quo. Loyalty to a plan or co-workers or a pre-determined vision can be a good thing. Loyalty can be an affirmation of mission.
However, the intractability created in an organization by executive leadership that does not want to get involved, or always chooses the easiest and non-innovative path, or is forever siding with the favorite, may not be a sign of loyalty at all. It is a non-decision; it is paying the price for doing nothing.
Is it fear that takes a person and turns them into a hands-off, non-responsive executive? Perhaps. It can also be a sign of inauthenticity and a lack of mindfulness.
If an executive can lead only by a reactive attachment to a rulebook, or staid guidelines or a self-imposed policy of non-involvement, it is not loyalty at all. It can cause damage to everyone in the organization. The remedy is to develop an awareness of the difference between a healthy loyalty to the organization and blindly following what has always been.
VIM Executive Coaching helps executive leaders to realize and embrace their authenticity to become more effective and responsive. There is a price “for doing nothing,” and that price can be infinitely more expensive than many of us imagine.