"Our employees just do not get it.  They do not take responsibility.  They lack passion.  They do not follow through..." (The list goes on.)

Not to be confused with the "Teflon Don" John Gotti, (although there are some parallels) the "Teflon Leader" makes mistakes because they are human, but they are allergic to blaming themselves for anything.  For a time some of them can retain a leadership role without blame, but their lack of performance always catches up with them eventually.

Rather than serving their employees, clients and partners, the Teflon Leader is consciously or subconsciously driven to impress other people to earn their approval.  The thought that something is wrong with them makes them uncomfortable.  They instinctively react to situations by trying to focus on who made the mistake, except themselves.

Part of the learning process to become a great leader is to gain knowledge from your mistakes. Unfortunately the Teflon Leader misses these opportunities to develop competitively effective leadership skills because they do not accept responsibility for their errors.

Sometimes even without knowing it they become, as the movie character Dirty Harry concluded about the serial killer, "... a legend in their own mind."  Unfortunately that is not reality.

This self-justification eliminates their ability to be a Level 5 Leader who can sustain growth and profits over time.

How about you?  Are there times when you have missed opportunities to grow because of your unwillingness to accept responsibility for your share of a mistake?

Meeting Ideas

Our discussion of a Teflon Leader is a challenge for you to consider whether you or a member of your management team is too effective at avoiding blame or responsibility for their mistakes.

Consider these questions to help your team to take responsibility for both their success and mistakes in your workplace, starting with yourself:

1. During the last 24 hours have you failed to use a fully professional, positive tone of voice in a conversation with another person?  How could you have communicated differently?  Do you need to apologize?  Should you work on pausing before responding in more conversations, and in particular with this individual?
2. Describe the last time someone suggested that you admit a mistake and you refused to take full responsibility.  How can you replace that reaction with a more thought-out response in the future?
3. Before you conclude you need to confront someone else about their Teflon Leader tendencies, please do a thorough evaluation of your own actions and motivations; and then confirm your conclusions with people strong enough to hold you accountable.
4. If you are a person of faith, then consider how to adjust your thoughts and behaviors so you seek the approval of God rather than people.  Accepting full responsibility for your mistakes and sincerely repenting creates opportunities for learning and enables you to become less upset by other people's offenses against you.