AddressCounterproductive Leadership

Intervene for Others

Taking a more indirect approach may be appropriate in some situations, such as when you witness others being subjected to counterproductive leadership. In these situations, you can intervene on their behalf to handle the broader situation and assist the individuals involved.

There are three techniques within the Intervene for Others strategy that you can use. Note that these techniques focus on helping the recipient of counterproductive leadership; they don’t attempt to change the leader’s behavior and therefore aren’t a long-term solution.

As with all strategies, leverage your Situation-Actors-Behaviors-Impacts (SABI) analysis to help you consider potential impacts and how to handle them.

Refocus or Redirect

One technique for intervening on behalf of others is to refocus or redirect the attention of the leader who is exhibiting counterproductive leadership behaviors. This technique helps stop counterproductive leadership behaviors in the moment. However, it likely won’t alter or stop the leader from exhibiting the behaviors in the future. It is not a long-term solution.

Move the leader’s attention away click to expand contents

Provide an exit to help the individual escape click to expand contents

Consider how you can help the recipient remove himself or herself from a situation where he or she is being subjected to counterproductive leadership. You might have others leave the room so that the behavior can be addressed directly and immediately or you can stop the situation/meeting altogether, rescheduling for another time when tensions are lower. These actions can help to de-escalate the situation and encourage the leader exhibiting counterproductive leadership to reflect on his or her actions.

Buffer or Protect Other Individuals

Another technique is to buffer or protect other individuals from exposure to suspected or repeated counterproductive leadership. This technique allows you to prevent the individual from being targeted by counterproductive leadership as much as possible. It also allows you to revert back to the first technique of redirecting the leader’s attention if needed. Again, this does not attempt to change the leader’s behavior and is not a long-term solution.

Attend or rearrange meetings click to expand contents

Meetings are often venues where leaders display counterproductive leadership, so it’s important to consider ways to limit a recipient’s exposure to a leader if they commonly display counterproductive behaviors in those settings. Offer to attend meetings with the leader in place of or along with your subordinates or peers. Your presence may help prevent certain behaviors from occurring and will also allow you to step in and take action if there needs to be a cooling-off period between the leader and someone else. If you or your subordinate arranged the meetings, consider canceling them or addressing the meeting topics in other ways (e.g., individual conversations, emails, memos).

Limit solo interactions or exposure to others click to expand contents

By limiting interactions or acting as a buffer, you decrease the chances of the leader targeting the individual. In addition, if you’re present, you can step in and redirect the situation if any counterproductive interactions with the leader occur. This also lets your subordinates know that you care about them and their well-being and that you’re aware of the difficult situation they are in.

Shield or protect your staff click to expand contents

In cases where another leader lashes out or wants to blame someone for a mistake, be willing to protect your staff. In some cases, protecting your staff may mean taking the blame to prevent the targeted individual from feeling the “wrath” of the leader. In other instances, it may mean deflecting the attack by stating that you’ll look into the issue further and attempting to move the discussion back to productive areas. This tactic can help lessen the negative impacts your subordinates or others feel in the moment (e.g., lower commitment, increased stress, and or decreased effectiveness). Leverage the tips provided later in this topic to guide you on how to conduct an effective conversation that will best enable you to shield and protect your staff.

Talk to the leader to redirect the team’s energy click to expand contents

Sit down with the leader to discuss how to more effectively accomplish tasks and do the work, rather than focusing on emotions or the people involved. During this discussion, review the situation with the leader. If a certain behavior may have triggered the leader’s behavior, reframe it in a positive or constructive way (refer back to the Assess topic for strategies to identify triggers). For example, “I understand he made a mistake, but it was a learning experience for him. I’ll work with him so that he won’t make the same mistake again.” This approach helps bring a constructive light to the situation to help everyone move forward successfully.

Provide Support to Affected Individuals

Experiencing counterproductive leadership behaviors can be an isolating and disheartening experience. Providing support to individuals won’t change the leader’s behavior, but it can help the individual affected. Saying something kind and empathetic in private - as simple as “I think you got a raw deal” or “That was totally unfair” - can go a long way to help the individual think about and deal with the incident.

Reach out to affected individuals click to expand contents

Letting individuals know they’re not alone may seem like a small gesture, but it can go a long way in these situations when individuals may be feeling isolated or alone. Remind the individuals of their positive contributions and give him or her space, time, and latitude to cope and recover. Acknowledge his or her feelings and stress; affirm that the emotions and stress he or she is feeling is to be expected given a challenging situation. Talk about ways to cope.

Address
Counterproductive Leadership