When a once-promising leader starts to become ineffective in their role, the impact goes well beyond the leader themselves. A seriously ineffectual leader, left unchecked, can be toxic for a team, or even the organization as a whole. That’s why it’s so critical to be able to spot the signs of a leader at risk for derailment, so you can start coaching for course correction (or in extreme cases, make plans for an exit). How can you spot the warning signs early, before productivity and morale start to suffer?

1. Keeping Leaders on Track
Spotting the Signs of Derailment
Tricia Naddaff, MS
President, MRG
Maria Brown, PhD
Head of Research, MRG

2. Type a question here.
Click the red arrow to
expand the Control
Panel.
Host
Lucy Sullivan
Head of Marketing, MRG

3. A Brief Introduction
Tricia Naddaff, MS
President, MRG
Maria Brown, PhD
Head of Research, MRG
Management Research Group is a global leader in designing
assessments that foster a deep self-awareness and impact people in
profound and meaningful ways with solutions for Leadership,
Personal Development, Sales and Service.
MRG conducts extensive research on effective leadership behavior,
leveraging a database of more than 1.2 million assessment
participants.

4. Our Agenda for Today
1. Derailment: understanding the problem
2. Derailing leader subtypes: using empirical data to improve
our ability to identify derailment early
3. Coaching to avoid derailment: using empirical data to coach
derailing leaders and get them back on track

5. Have you coached a derailing
leader?
a) Yes – in the past
b) Yes – currently coaching one
c) No – but I know I will at some point
d) No – and I don’t think I will
Audience Poll:

6. [Footer text to come] Page No 6
What do we know about
derailment?
A review of the recent literature

7. Who are derailers?
Fired leaders
The bottom 10% in effectiveness
Low performers in general
Often times derailing leaders were successful at one
point…

8. Derailment by the numbers
(2016 Gallup Poll; Peltier, 2010)
Only
18%
of managers
demonstrate a
high level of
talent for
managing others.
Derailment rates
in the literature
range between
30% and
50%.

9. The cost of a derailing leader
Human Cost
To the leader
To colleagues
Organizational Cost
Lost investment
Replacement costs
Lost productivity
Missed objectives
Employee disengagement

10. A paradox
Derailment is…
Costly Common

11. Why do leaders derail?
Poor feedback
Unclear expectations
Insufficient investment in development
Lack of early detection

12. What’s the solution?
Identify the earliest signs of
derailment and derailment risk.
Coach leaders by targeting their
particular derailment pattern.

13. Behaviors are…
Focus on behavior first
Measurable
Actionable
Malleable

14. Using research to deter derailment
What are the different types of
derailing leaders?
How can we coach those leaders to
avoid derailment?

15. Which of these behaviors, when
used in excess, are associated with
derailment?
a) Being dominant
b) Showing empathy
c) Demonstrating excitement
d) All of the above
Audience Poll:

16. [Footer text to come] Page No 16
4 Types of Derailing Leaders
Using empirical data to improve our ability to
identify derailment early

17. The study: finding derailing leader subtypes
The Derailers
15,811 leaders
40+ countries
Completed LEA 360TM 2015-2019
58% Male / 34% Female / 8% Not reported
The LEA 360TM is a multi-rater assessment
measuring 22 leadership behaviors and 31
leadership competencies
1,573 leaders
Bottom 10% in overall effectiveness
64% Male / 28% Female / 8% Not reported

18. Four Types of Derailing Leaders

19. High on:
Self
Feedback
Management focus
Dominant
Production
Low on:
Cooperation
Consensual
Empathy
Strategic
Restraint
Type 1:
My way or the highway
(24.3%)
Gender Actual Expected
Female 35% 28%
Male 57% 64%

20. High on:
Outgoing
Cooperation
Consensual
Deference to
authority
Empathy
Low on:
Management focus
Dominant
Type 2:
Happy Follower (28.6%)

21. High on:
Structuring
Deference to
authority
Type 3:
Stick to the Rules (27.3%)

22. High on:
Outgoing
Excitement
Self
Low on:
Strategic
Technical
Structuring
Communication
Control
Type 4:
Engaging Lightweight
(19.8%)
Gender Actual Expected
Female 24% 28%
Male 72% 64%

23. Interpreting and Applying the findings
Patterns and behavioral tendencies are important.
No leader should be considered a derailment risk after one or
two incidents.
Everyone is entitled to an off day every once in a while.

24. Interpreting and Applying the findings
Don’t assume intent.
Whether a leader is intentionally misbehaving or not, the
outcome of that behavior is what truly matters.

25. Interpreting and Applying the findings
Context matters.
This research involves a diverse group of leaders. Always
consider the current leadership context.

26. Questions?

27. [Footer text to come] Page No 27
Coaching to avoid
leadership derailment
Now that we have identified leaders at risk for
derailment, how can we get them back on track?

28. High on:
Self
Feedback
Management focus
Dominant
Production
Low on:
Cooperation
Consensual
Empathy
Strategic
Restraint
Type 1:
My way or the highway
(24.3%)

29. Overestimate their emphasis on:
Consensual
Strategic
Underestimate their emphasis on:
Management focus
Dominant
Derailing leader blind
spots:
My Way or the Highway

30. The challenge:
Unmitigated forcefulness and self-
centeredness.
The solution:
Avoid overuse of Dominant and Self
behaviors.
Explore underutilized behaviors to help
moderate forceful behaviors.
Developmental Recommendations
My Way or the Highway

31. Strategic
To increase cognitive effectiveness
Restraint
To improve emotional regulation
Cooperation & Empathy
To improve interpersonal relationships
Consensual
To gain perspectives from others
Developmental Recommendations
My Way or the Highway

32. High on:
Outgoing
Cooperation
Consensual
Deference to
authority
Empathy
Low on:
Management focus
Dominant
Type 2:
Happy Follower (28.6%)

33. Derailing leader blind
spots:
The Happy Follower
Overestimate their emphasis on:
Self
Underestimate their emphasis on:
Deference to authority

34. The Challenge:
A lack of leadership and managerial
behaviors.
The Solution:
Avoid overusing certain problematic
behaviors.
Increase the use of behaviors that lead to
strong leadership outcomes.
Developmental Recommendations
The Happy Follower

35. Management focus
To take responsibility for the leadership role
Persuasive
To influence others
Dominant
To demonstrate assertiveness
Self
To demonstrate independent thought and action
Production and Control
To increase levels of achievement
Developmental Recommendations
The Happy Follower

36. High on:
Structuring
Deference to
authority
Type 3:
Stick to the Rules (27.3%)

37. Derailing leader blind spots:
Stick to the Rules
Overestimate their emphasis
on:
Strategic
Underestimate their emphasis
on:
Deference to Authority

38. The Challenge:
Inflexibility and over-reliance on rules and people in
authority positions.
The Solution:
In addition to ensuring there is not an overuse of
Structuring and Authority, explore moderating
behaviors.
Developmental Recommendations
Stick to the Rules

39. Innovative and Consensual
To increase ideas and input
Strategic
To put rules and processes into broader context
Production
To ensure rules and processes support achievement
Empathy
To better understand the implications on others
Developmental Recommendations
Stick to the Rules

40. High on:
Outgoing
Excitement
Self
Low on:
Strategic
Technical
Structuring
Communication
Control
Type 4:
Engaging Lightweight
(19.8%)

41. Derailing leader blind spots:
Engaging Lightweight
Overestimate their emphasis
on:
Control
Strategic

42. The Challenge:
Lack of intellectual and process discipline, and
potential lack of leadership presence.
The Solution:
Explore using behaviors that can help increase
gravitas.
Developmental Recommendations
Engaging Lightweight

43. Strategic and Technical
To increase cognitive competence
Structuring and Control
To increase process discipline
Management Focus and Communication
To increase leadership presence
Persuasive
To expand influence
Developmental Recommendations
Engaging Lightweight

44. Questions?

45. Keeping Leaders on Track with the LEA 360™
Collect objective data from
multiple observer groups
 Allows you and the
leader to see patterns
across observers and
contexts
 Increases self-awareness
 Real and accurate
baseline from which to
grow

46. Keeping Leaders on Track with the LEA 360™
Single, Versatile Assessment
 Identify leaders at risk of
derailment who have not
been flagged yet
 Same assessment can be
used for development –
no additional investment

47. Keeping Leaders on Track with the LEA 360™
Variety of free resources to
support development
 Resource guide for action
planning
 Free industry research to
help set realistic
expectations and motivate
change

48. Keeping Leaders on Track with the LEA 360™
Ongoing accountability with Momentum
Momentum is an easy-to-use, cloud-based system that helps
leaders make the critical connection between assessment
insights and the actions they need to take to make real,
measurable progress toward their goals.

49. Additional Resources
Also available from MRG
Prepare leaders for the challenges and
expectations that come with new roles
MRG’s research on leadership
transitions
MRG.com/resource-hub/research
Measurement is important
Learn more about the LEA 360™
MRG.com/assessments
Watch your inbox for
the recording, slide deck
and Q&A.

50. Upcoming Events with MRG
Webinars Certifications
Using the IDI to
Reveal Motivation
and Unlock
Potential
Tuesday, December 10
LEA 360™
Full Suite
Starts November 12, 2019
LEA 360™
Full Suite
Starts January 14, 2020
LEA 360™
Full Suite
Starts March 3, 2020
Sales Performance
Assessment™
Starts December 5, 2019
Individual Directions
Inventory™
Starts January 16, 2020
Personal
Directions®
Starts February 6, 2020

51. [Footer text to come] Page No 51
Thank you.
Stay in touch.
research@mrg.com