Busted! You can’t call a duck a cat and expect that no one will hear the quack.
The Queen of Soul said it musically in 1968. My parents said it frequently after I had done something stupid. By the time we reach adulthood we have all been admonished repeatedly by our parents, other authority figures, mentors and teachers to think. Leaders make good decisions and bad ones, smart decisions and dumb decisions. Good organizations may take actions that sully a previously solid and reputable history. Such things are costly and tough to undo. When personal filters drive irrational decision-making, fasten your seatbelt, there is a wild ride ahead. Susan B. Komen for the Cure...
read moreThere’s a Big “I” in Team
The fashionable nature of the term team has outlived its usefulness in business. Your executive team is not Seal Team 6. Your project team is not the NY Giants and your sales team is not the Chicago Bulls. It seems that every group of people working together in any organization is now referred to as a team. Few actually function as a high performing team. Be aware and cautious of the tendency to dumb-down individuality for the sake of team harmony. Give smart people a forum to disagree. A clearly understsood mission to which every team member is aligned and committed is the starting...
read moreWIIFM is always in the equation
No one works for you except you. That’s true whether you are the CEO or a shop-floor supervisor. It’s true whether you culture calls people employees, associates or team members. Mother Theresa is not on your payroll. While great sacrifice and compassion were hallmarks of her work in the slums of Calcutta, she got something of value for herself as a result of the work. WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) is always in the equation. The answers to that questions are as varied as there are people helping you achieve the vision. WIIFM is not selfishness, it is reality – the...
read moreBelief drives behavior
Instruments of production or human beings who must produce? A leader’s beliefs regarding employees drives the leader’s behavior towards employees. Inherent in the belief that employees are human beings who must produce rather than simple instruments of production is the commitment to respect the dignity of those led. People will do stupid things, make bad decisions, and make mistakes. So will you. Learn from them and help others do so. In the rare situation when someone’s behavior violates ethics, integrity and demonstrates an unacceptable character flaw, get rid of them now....
read moreCommon Sense at the Crossroads
Leaders do what is right. Sometimes there are consequences that aren’t right. Courage to see what needs to be done, take action and be accountable for that action regardless of the stupidity that may attack that action or outcome is character. It is not a characteristic that exists based on title or position. Pal David was an elementary school principal in a rural community many years back. One of his school buses broke down, in the road, on a dangerous curve, near the school. The driver’s capability was limited. The principal was called. While not licensed to drive a school bus,...
read moreNot Quite The House that Jack Built
Getting business results through others can and should be easier and more satisfying. If leadership is the solution to what ails us, it should follow then that developing other leaders is a primary accountability of every leader regardless of level in the business. The ideal and reality are not always aligned, yet there is a great example where an ethic established in the first part of the 20th century created an enduring foundation at General Electric. Not to detract from the accomplishments of Jack Welch, but therein lies “the rest of the story.” Welch’s success and...
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