In the previous post, we discussed the condition of Adversity. The emergence of Leadership during this condition is perhaps the most obvious and the most expected. When Adversity is present, people have a tendency to act. It is probably tied directly to our fight or flight response. Leadership is typically positioned quickly upon the presence of Adversity. Stronger Leadership anticipates Adversity by the markers that lead up to it. Sometimes one of those markers could be the next condition. This Leadership Condition is Malaise.

The call for Leadership during Malaise is less robust to the common Leader, but it is just as important. An exceptional Leader will see Malaise as potentially disruptive as he sees Adversity. Malaise is defined here.

The condition of Malaise is when members are comfortable in their condition and do little to change it. The Leader will recognize malaise as an adversary and quickly convert this condition into one of adversity or change.

Malaise can also be directional. It can be described when members are settling for a directional path without intervention beyond the routine. Malaise can be a destructive Leadership Condition when not addressed.

One of the most recent and infamous examples of the destructive power of Malaise was with General Motors prior to US government intervention to rescue this failed auto manufacturer. The automobile industry was trending towards a shift based on technology and consumer demands. More and more compact hybrid automobiles were entering the mainstream. The Toyota Prius (despite its later challenges) was experiencing record sales. This was a hybrid the public wanted. More and more automobile manufacturers were either extending or creating new lines using hybrid technology. One of the last holdouts was General Motors (GM).

GM had manufactured large, powerful, fuel-consuming trucks mostly. They banked their future on the sale of these vehicles despite the shifting current toward hybrids and fuel efficient models. Despite the noise around them, they chose to ignore it and continued to manufacture what they knew best. They were comfortable with their product lines and confident that this market would hold up for them into the future.  GM and the UAW (United Auto Workers Union) drifted into the sleep of Malaise.  This condition then quickly changed as the US government intervened with a bailout and forced a change in management and philosophy. Leadership emerged outside of the organization as opposed to within.

GM and the UAW is an example of Malaise on a grand scale with an economic impact felt across the entire United States and even globally.  Not every example exists at such a macro level. While working with a Sales Organization, I was tasked to help them improve sales force performance. The team I was working with had recently experienced success. As I looked at the success, I realized the goals for this year had been adjusted (downward) because the team had struggled dramatically in the previous years. Other teams were doing exceptionally well historically while this team struggled (with the exception of their most recent performance). The recent success of this team wasn’t due to a dramatic outbreak in sales and demand. The trend had been so challenged that the goals were dropped to help the team ramp up. The local management may have realized this but their recent success gave them a false sense of security. Sure enough after dramatically exceeding their goals, the company readjusted and gave this sales team challenging sales objectives for the following year.

The local management wasn’t pro-active to this. Sales Representatives became comfortable with their success as if it would continue indefinitely. They went about their day status quo. Neither the local management or their sales force looked beyond their current success to anticipate the pending Adversity that usually ends a period of Malaise. In this particular case, the sales force did not recover until they entered a period of Adversity. The management failed to answer the call for Leadership that Malaise communicates. Answering this call can often enable a team to avoid Adversity through preparedness.

Malaise is a dangerous condition. In it there is very little preparation for Adversity or Change. Both of which always seem to lurk around the corner. During Malaise, Leaders stimulate action as if there was a different condition pending.  Think of times when you witnessed Malaise.

• What was the situation?
• Who if anyone responded to the condition?
• How did you respond to the condition?
• Did a Leader emerge during Malaise or did the condition change first?
• Was the leader the apparent person to lead the charge or did an unlikely Leader step up?
• What could a Leader have done to lead his team out of this condition?

Understanding the Leadership Condition of Malaise allows the Leader to posture himself to lead successfully. A seasoned Leader will hear the call as clearly as if it were some of the more obvious conditions.

You can follow me on Twitter @TerrenceWing and @LiquidLearn