From the President's Cabinet to the ranks of college coaching, turnover in leadership seems at an all-time high. Despite all the uncertainty, a change at the top is usually a sign of better things to come. Case in point: Procter & Gamble's top slot turned over in 2000, ousting a chief executive who had warmed the chair for just 17 months. Current CEO A. G. Lafley brought a warmer style of management, and the results have been gratifying.

One person, a great leader, can make all the difference. From an HR consultant with a CEO's point of view, here are some lessons learned from failed regimes, and those that work well:

What leaders do: With operating efficiency "maxed out" and budgets stretched thin, it’s no surprise that leadership positions turn over so quickly. Today, leaders are expected to walk in the door and produce results. New leaders often inherit deep-seated problems, yet are expected to have immediate answers. That’s the norm, and it creates pressure and isolation.

What leaders forget: Overwhelmed by tasks and deadlines, leaders can fail to identify and develop “support cells”:  allies and advantages built into their environment.  Without such a network, a leader has professional “blind spots”: problems they don’t know about, adversaries they don’t recognize. Although some try, leaders usually don’t prosper without taking the ‘human factor’ into account.

What makes leaders great: Most leaders have a degree of charisma that makes people want to follow them. They make things happen, and they inspire others to do so. Most importantly, great leaders remind everyone "why it matters" by sharing a personal sense of purpose and values. In health care, for instance, “why it matters” means saving lives. That’s a fairly easy sell. In retail or manufacturing, great leaders make the mission matter just as much.

What makes leaders fold: Individually, leaders get where they are through their strengths. Because it’s lonely at the top, their best ally can be a process-driven executive coach to shore up personal weaknesses. Not too many leaders have a well-defined process to guarantee optimal teamwork on every project. Relying on charisma or sheer force of will, leaders and their teams can “burn out” fairly quickly. A leader’s prime asset can be a facilitator, a “team coach” that gets the most out of their human resources.

Leaders’ weak spot:  Leaders assume that people understand them, and that their people understand each other. Operating under the gun, leaders often don’t make their expectations clear, and don’t teach their team how to do so.  Results are ‘hit or miss’. Accountability is impossible. Virtually every executive and team makes too many assumptions, and needs work on expectations and accountability.

Leaders’ greatest joy:  Doing well by doing what's right. When any leader sees his or her organization live by its principles, meet its mission, and honor its values, there’s nothing more rewarding.
 

Karl Corbett is President and founder of Sasha Corporation, a Cincinnati consulting firm that's been creating better places to work since 1984.