What in the world is Leadership Dissonance and why should I care about it?

In psychology, these contradictions are known as cognitive dissonance—when our stated beliefs don’t align with our actual behaviors. For example, I might claim to value employee empowerment, but when anxiety strikes, I find myself micromanaging my team, creating confusion and frustration. This is an example of leadership dissonance.

This disconnect between words and actions has been occupying my thoughts lately, particularly regarding its impact on leadership effectiveness. My Gen Z employees are especially skilled at identifying these inconsistencies, which can significantly undermine our efforts to foster growth and high performance. This demonstrates how leadership dissonance affects organizational growth.

While cognitive dissonance can manifest at an organizational level, I most frequently observe it in individual leadership practices—including my own. So how do we address this challenge?

Overcoming Leadership Inconsistencies

1. Recognize Your Contradictions

These inconsistencies may be difficult to acknowledge, but trust me—your team notices them, and their work suffers as a result. Most leaders fail to identify these gaps in themselves. Developing self-awareness and committing to improvement is essential, especially in overcoming personal leadership dissonance.

2. Identify Your Triggers

Several factors can activate our inconsistent behaviors:

• Outdated beliefs we haven’t examined
• Personal patterns stemming from our upbringing
• Stress reactions (we often revert to old habits under pressure)
• Philosophical misalignments within the organization

3. Embrace Feedback Openly

Soliciting and genuinely listening to employee feedback can illuminate blind spots. Remember that transparency isn’t a weakness—it’s a hallmark of exceptional leadership. Furthermore, understanding leadership dissonance can improve your feedback process.

4. Invest in Development

If you own or lead a business, consider what training you’re providing to help your leadership team address cognitive dissonance. Are you equipping them with the tools to recognize and manage these inconsistencies that contribute to leadership style dissonance?

We all experience cognitive dissonance at times. The more aware you become, the better you’ll get at identifying and addressing these contradictions in yourself and your leadership team—creating a more authentic, trust-based organization.

For more posts on this topic see: https://darrelllindsey.com/6/bridging-the-generation-gap-how-to-effectively-lead-gen-z-in-the-workplace/