Have you ever wondered why, when you are the same as you have always been, you start getting different reactions from people as you go up in an organization?
The Wrecking Ball effect explains in part what happens with seniority, and why it's important for senior people to pay extra attention to their own behavior, and the ways in which this behavior affects others in an organization.
From the original article (PDF text)
2004
THE WRECKING BALL EFFECT
C H R I S L O N S D A L E & A S S O C I AT E S LT D . Copyright 2004 Chris Lonsdale & Associates Ltd. and ChrisLonsdale.com
THE WRECKING BALL EFFECT “But I’ve always been this way!”, More importantly, Paul didn’t seem able to energize his management team, or his complained Paul as I looked him in the eye employees, to do what was needed to break and, for the third time, suggested that he out of the rut. Sadly, he hadn’t realized that he had become victim to his own success. needed to tone down his criticism of people He was suffering from “the wrecking ball effect.” in his team. “Why should I change now?”, The first time I defined the wrecking ball effect he continued. as a very real, and important, phenomenon was when I saw Paul “perform” in a credit e then went on to explain how, over the committee meeting. The Credit committee
H course of his career, his combative style had gotten him through many crises, was at the core of his company’s business. Every week, senior staff brought projects they wanted to invest in to present to the credit and had helped him advance rapidly inside the company. The trouble was, recently his committee. Paul was the chairman of the career had begun to stall. He was already committee. Managing Director of the Hong Kong branch of an international finance firm, but it was The meetings were long, and consisted of beginning to seem like he wouldn’t go much senior executives presenting their proposals further. There were even doubts about how and arguing for the company to support those long he might be able to keep the current proposals. While there were holes in some position. of these proposals that needed to be addressed, Paul’s reaction was fascinating to He had, over a short period of just a few years, watch. built the Hong Kong business to a significant size. However, as competition increased and He would sit, listening, like a tiger waiting to the market changed, further prospects for pounce. Then, suddenly, he would attack. growth just were not materializing. The Not physically, but with words. Words business was flat, and didn’t look like changing designed to cut strips off someone, and leave for a while. them bleeding, naked in front of their peers. Paul would often be correct about the issue
C H R I S L O N S D A L E & A S S O C I AT E S LT D .
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EFFECT BALL he had identified, but the way he how the wrecking ball comes into play. communicated created such shock that the other person would be incapacitated for a When you are more junior in an organization, week, if not longer. On one occasion, after in order to get things done sometimes you one executive had presented a relatively solid need to be pushy, brash even. Because you proposal Paul turned, looked at her for a few are junior to others, harsh words from you are seconds, then said “we’re not pawn brokers, unlikely to be damaging, especially to more you know”. Then he turned away. senior people. To seniors your comments are more likely to be perceived only as slight Anne was, for a moment, stunned. She annoyances coming from an upstart mosquito. didn’t know how to take it. Then, after a few You get forgiven or ignored. Why? Because, moments she turned and left the room. She in the scheme of things, you are not that didn’t want Paul to see the tears welling in relevant. In any case, the more senior person her eyes. For the next four or five days, Anne probably also feels that they have a duty to didn’t get any more work done. She sat cut you some slack. Afterall, you are just behind her desk, mind blanked out, trying to speaking from immaturity. You will learn. understand why she had been attacked by Paul that way. Trying to understand why the Then, things change. You get promoted and wrecking ball had come after her that day. YOU become the senior person. The rules for you become very different. People who report to you hang on your every word. They The Wrecking Ball Effect Defined expect you to be wiser than wise. To always make the right decisions. To always measure You may be wondering why this was such a your words carefully. And, because they big issue. On the surface, Paul’s words don’t expect you to measure your words carefully, seem to be that destructive. They are sharp when you throw some words carelessly in but probably something you might even say someone else’s direction you can unwittingly in order to make a point about your view on create problems. something. A metaphor to communicate a more abstract idea. So, why did they have In Anne’s case, she truly believed that she such a destructive impact? had been badly scolded, and that her job was in danger. What had been intended, of course, The problem was not the words themselves, was simply to get her to think about how she but the combination of the words and Paul’s was positioning her project. seniority in the company. Whether we like it or not, position power in an organization This process happens whether you like it or means that our words and actions carry extra not. You say something that you think is weight. People read so much more into the slightly cynical, just to make a point. It gets words, gestures, mannerisms of a senior heard as a major attack. You have, unwittingly, leader than they ever do into the words of a become a wrecking ball. You frown, because peer, or of a more junior person. And this is you are puzzled, and it gets received as “this
C H R I S L O N S D A L E & A S S O C I AT E S LT D .
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EFFECT BALL is too dangerous. The boss doesn’t like it”. those on the receiving end, a frown can You have become a wrecking ball. sometimes be seen as a tantrum.
The reason why the wrecking ball effect is so How Do You Know It’s Happening? insidious, and so destructive, is that you HAVEN’T changed. Not really. However, As with any dynamic of this nature, the most because of your position in the organization powerful thing you can do is name it for what the power that you wield has changed it is. To do this, it can be helpful to know dramatically. You move just a little, what to look for. imperceptibly maybe, but the There are furniture starts probably three flying out the very simple windows and things that that the walls start you can use as cracking. Not evidence of a intentional but p o s s i b l e you are “wrecking ball wrecking e f f e c t ” everything happening on around you. your watch. How is this They are possible? motivation, a Through layers drop in of experience feedback, and you have, in other people fact, become changing. much stronger over the years. You are, actually, more powerful and more Motivation Levels confident than was true in the past. From the inside it maybe doesn’t feel that way, but Motivation can be affected by many things people around you notice it. but, above all else, the leader makes a real difference to motivation levels in an Then, you add the position power. organization. If your organization is losing motivation, especially when there has been The whole mix is like giving a robotic arm to no meaningful change in the external a two-year-old child, along with a fully matured environment, it’s wise to look towards your athlete’s body. Very powerful, and very own leadership as the possible cause. If destructive if not channelled properly. A motivation is dropping it could be that your tantrum could be a major event! And, to behaviour as a leader is creating more
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THE WRECKING BALL EFFECT damage than you realize. mind. You notice it because the people just seem quite different to how you knew them The drop in motivation may not be a response to be. to the wrecking ball effect, but it’s a real possibility. In any case, a drop in motivation in an organization requires the immediate How Do You Fix It? focus and attention of the leader. And, to get to the root of what is going on, a look The key to resolving the wrecking ball effect in the mirror is always a wise first step. is, before you do anything else, recognize it as a signal of your success. It is because Feedback Gap you have been successful that you have created the conditions for the “wrecking ball A drop in the willingness of senior people in effect” to operate. the company to give feedback, or speak their minds, is a much clearer indication that However, you also need to realize that the wrecking ball effect is in action. This is “nothing fails like success”. The attitudes, especially true if, in the past, they have tended skills, behaviours, and knowledge that got to be quite open. A change towards keeping you to the top may well be the very things things inside, and not discussing them, that will prevent you from truly succeeding indicates that people do not feel safe to in the leadership role. You come to the discuss their thinking. This “danger” can be realization that you’re not bad, and that you created by the group dynamic as a whole need to learn some new things in order to but, in most cases, it comes back to the master a new role. And you realize that the leader. Because of a lack of awareness, the way you’ve “always done things” is part of leader’s behaviour has started to damage the problem. The problem is that you haven’t trust in the group. In this more “dangerous” changed, and you need to – even if it’s just environment, to be safe, group members a little bit. decide to keep their thoughts to themselves rather than sharing. Once you recognize the problem, of course, you then need to start making changes. Other People Are Different Finding someone to observe you in action and give you honest feedback is probably The third sign that the wrecking ball effect the most effective approach that you can may be operating is when the behaviour of use. An external observer and a coach is other people towards you changes. It might an extremely effective way to address this be that people used to joke with you a certain sort of problem for two very important way, but now they seem to be much more reasons. Firstly, people who report to you careful. Or, it could be that they are now are seldom going to give you the necessary much more deferential than was the case in feedback because they are, by virtue of their the past. Instead of arguing with you, they position, intimately connected with the will try to say something, then change their problem. They are often intimidated by you,
C H R I S L O N S D A L E & A S S O C I AT E S LT D .
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EFFECT BALL so won’t give you the feedback that you need. Why Bother?
Secondly, many of the behaviours that are While it may seem that a focus on this level causing the wrecking ball effect will either be of detail is beyond what a leader needs to unconscious, or will feel so totally natural to do, you need to reflect for a moment on you that, without an outside view, you would athletes who have become legends in their never even consider them. You will discover, own lifetimes. People playing at the top of for instance, that a frown from you is affecting their game pay very careful attention to very your whole management team. Not only may small differences that can determine whether you not be aware of the link between the they win or lose. Something that is irrelevant frown and the team, you may not even know to an amateur could be, and often is, of critical that you are frowning at all. importance to the professional. And so the professional works on it to make it better. Many years ago, when playing a bit part in a movie in China, I was in the makeup room. The same is true for leaders. One of the make-up ladies told me that my left eyebrow was higher than my right. I said The fine awareness of your own behaviour, that it wasn’t my fault, because she was the thinking, and reactions wasn’t needed when one making me up. After some time, however, you were somewhere down in the as she tried to fix the problem, we discovered organization. You were more focused in that I had literally lifted the left eyebrow without learning the job, and doing it to the best of being conscious of doing so. your ability. Now that you have reached the higher regions these small things have begun An external view can give you insight into to matter. To continue on your path of these unconscious reactions and behaviours, success, you simply have to start paying in ways that will help you to make changes attention to these finer details. where you think these are needed. Will it end there? Probably not. As the Chinese Some of the changes will happen easily, and say, “Tian Wai You Tian”. Beyond heaven will simply require some consciousness of there is another heaven. Whatever level you what you are doing, and a concerted effort manage to get to you’ll find that , always, to change some old habits. Others could be there are other levels that you could aspire a little more complex, requiring you to explore to. However, until you reach the lower levels the automatic reactions that you have to you may not even be aware of the higher certain things. Uncovering these reactions levels, or of what is required to succeed there. can at times be challenging. At the same time, the rewards make it very worthwhile.
C H R I S L O N S D A L E & A S S O C I AT E S LT D .
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Originally published 2004-11-05 · Legacy CMS article #6814