The Punitive Leader

Many years ago, a sales guy lost a deal because he made a mistake in negotiations. Defeated, he faced the furious company president, “taking his licks”. The president didn’t think his anger had enough of an impact, so a couple of weeks later, he ordered the salesman a new company truck with specific customization.

When the truck was delivered the sales guy was very excited. He explored all of the new features, enjoying the new technology. There was just one thing that was odd. There were no power windows – they were the old manual crank style. He asked the president how that could be when everything else was the latest and greatest. The president told him that he ordered it that way. He wanted him to remember his screwed-up deal every time he had to roll the window. The salesman was devasted. He was stuck with this reminder for several years, not being allowed to move on.

Later on, I became familiar with the concept and philosophy of viewing “failures” as “learnings”. This approach reframes failures, allowing individuals to gain insights from experiences with undesired outcomes. It also encourages continued innovation and perseverance. The majority of mistakes are unintentional. When leaders adopt this perspective, they create an environment where their teams can analyze what went wrong without judgment. Of course, repeated mistakes are another issue, but enabling people to progress with learning and confidence will ultimately lead to improved outcomes.

If a leader believes they need to resort to punishment, the bigger question becomes why they think that’s necessary. Is the leader the problem? Is there a process breakdown? Is there a team issue? Addressing underlying issues instead of focusing on results is key. Once the outcomes of a negative situation are fully examined and understood, everyone should move on with newfound knowledge. To keep someone chained to their mistake anchors them in the past and prevents them from growing. It also messages to other team members how they will be treated, spreading fear and disengagement, ultimately limiting a whole organization.

Great leaders allow people and teams to move on from errors. In doing so, they build trust, psychological safety, comradery, innovation and engagement. The organization will recover faster from a negative experience and ultimately carry that knowledge forward to a positive outcome.

Punishment says more about a leader’s failure, than an employee’s capability.