The Challenge of the Turn Around Leader Marla Gottschalk

The Challenge of the Turn Around Leader Marla Gottschalk Recently, the leadership skills of Yahoos turn-around CEO, Marissa Mayer have come into question for addressing what she deemed to be a symptom of a palpable organizational ailment. I was not surprised at the reaction to her decision concerning flexible work â€" which could only be described as visceral and sensational. However, in my mind, a broader leadership question looms. At LinkedIn, editor Isabelle Roughol has recounted developments in the evolution of both Yahoo and Groupon. Reading her post, I was struck with the importance of that pivotal second chance for ailing organizations â€" and the unique challenges faced by those leading that charge. Whether we are discussing Yahoo, Groupon, or J.C. Penney, one element remains brazenly obvious. Diagnosing organizational ills and affecting change is a difficult road to travel. Leaders cast in this savior role stand the chance of losing the good fight. It is a high stakes, high risk business. In the case of Ms. Mayer, the proverbial CEO alarm was pulled the moment she revoked flexible work options. But, as the days passed and more information emerged, another aspect of the story became evident: the leadership challenges she faces in an organization that is actively seeking change. Bit by bit, information surfaced that was vital to this tale; including how Ms. Mayer determined she really had a serious problem and what motivated her course of action. Personally, I dont fault her for addressing what she believes to be a waning collaborative environment at Yahoo. ( I dont view this is an assault on flexible work.) Gathering key talent together, in the hopes of igniting change, makes perfect sense. This action at the very least, begins to set behavioral expectations going forward for Yahoo. Critics abound â€" but only time will tell if this action contributes to needed change. Yahoos leadership story (and others like it) seem to be at least partially rooted in our level of confidence in leadership â€" or more specifically, our skepticism. This seems counter intuitive on a very basic level, as a leap of faith is required when any organization needs to evolve. We need to view leadership as the dynamic and risky business that it truly is. There has long been keen interest in specific leader attributes and how they impact success. However, this may have distracted us from the need for a broader, more integrated definition. Leadership is often a complicated, layered role, where culture and context must meld to formulate strategy. Prescribing the skills required for these leadership roles is an even more complicated task. At the very least, a leader’s right to develop the best possible “script” for their highly specific situation seems critical. Marissa Mayer is faced with the task of assessing what Yahoos culture really needs at this moment to become healthy and productive. (I would hope that a modified flexible work policy will be hammered out as time passes.) Ultimately, a leaders willingness to implement unpopular organizational decisions in these second chance situations, is required. What do you think? Should we extend more confidence to our high-level leaders?