Ethical Challenges Across Industries—Implications for You
Some industries are ethically dirty, with widespread corruption, while others are clean. Most are somewhere in between. What are the signs of ethical challenges in an industry—and what to do about it? Many industries get good marks overall, including consulting, education, electronics, health, nonprofits, and more. Other industries are known for having ethical challenges. Examples include aerospace and defense, financial services, construction, cosmetics, energy, mining/extraction, pharmaceuticals, private prisons, information and communications technology, tobacco, and transportation and storage. The point, of course, isn’t that all people and all companies in these industries are corrupt. Far from it. We believe that most
The Best and Worst Bosses: Implications for Leaders
Article Summary: Here we describe the worst bosses and the best bosses—and we suggest what can you do to become more like a best boss. “Bosses shape how people spend their days and whether they experience joy or despair, perform well or badly, or are healthy or sick. Unfortunately, there are hordes of mediocre and downright rotten bosses out there, and big gaps between the best and the worst.” -Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor Many of us have had bad bosses. Unfortunately, it’s all too common. What makes them bad? Worst Bosses The worst bosses are often caught up
Renewing Yourself Amidst the Chaos
Article Summary: Wise leaders take the time for self-care through a regimen of daily activities, sanctuary, and retreats. The benefits of personal renewal for leaders are enormous, ensuring you’re living a good and meaningful life. +++ Many of us are so tied up in the chaos of our lives that we don’t take proper care of ourselves. We don’t eat healthy foods, get enough sleep or exercise, or take vacations. If we do take time off, we stay on the grid, bringing us right back into the swirl. The Negatives of Poor Self-Care Poor self-care leads to excessive stress,
How Ego and Pride Derail Leaders
Article Summary: If you think you don’t have a problem with your ego, watch out. That’s when leaders are at the greatest risk of losing their bearings and credibility. +++ Aristotle defined the “golden mean” as the desirable middle between the two extremes of excess and deficiency. For leaders, there’s an essential golden mean to find between the pridefulness of excessive ego and the timidity of excessive humility. Ego Our egos are part of our neuro-physiological systems that help protect our self-image and self-worth. The ego is the part of our conscious mind that defines our identity. Our egos
Character-Infused Leadership
Character should be the cornerstone of your leadership. “Great leadership is a product of great character.” -Abraham Lincoln The Future of Ethics Professor Corey Ciocchetti led a conference recently on “The Future of Ethics” at the University of Denver (DU). It was superb. His keynote address focused on “character-infused leadership.” The Daniels College of Business at DU is well known for its emphasis on ethics and values. The Chancellor of the university, Jeremy Haefner, and the Dean of the Daniels Business School, Vivek Choudhury, both spoke at the conference underscoring the primacy of ethics at their institution. Character
How Leaders Should Address the Unique Challenges of Our Times
It’s no secret that leadership can be brutally hard. Think of all the things that can lead to organizational breakdowns as well as all the derailers that inhibit our leadership effectiveness. See our article, “Is Your Organization Headed for a Breakdown?,” listing 20 early indicators of organizational breakdowns such as constantly changing priorities, people operating in silos, cutting ethical corners, short-termism, and more. And see our article, “What Are Your Leadership Derailers?,” noting 10 of the most common things that inhibit our leadership effectiveness. Today’s Unique Challenges But that’s just table stakes. As if those problems weren’t already enough,
A Tiger Team and Its Breakthrough—The Pathfinder
In our last post, we wrote about Tiger Teams–temporary special action teams created and empowered to attack problems and exploit opportunities. Bob first witnessed the power of alignment and flow with the Pathfinder team at Monarch Marking Systems. In the early 1980s, retailers were rapidly adopting bar codes to scan at checkout. Rather than fight bar codes, Monarch had decided to reinvent itself as a bar-code printing company. Monarch had just introduced a large, rather clunky, bar code printer, the size of a small desk, and the next logical step was to develop a smaller, tabletop version. Monarch’s vice
Ditch Frozen Structures for Tiger Teams
The vast majority of organizations today have a traditional hierarchical structure.* They may be organized by function, division, geography, or some other variable, but they’re hierarchical. Given their long history, it’s no surprise that hierarchies can be useful. Organizations, especially large and complex ones, need structure to avoid chaos. “Hierarchy works well in a stable environment.” -Mary Douglas, British anthropologist But there’s a problem. The Problem with Hierarchies Since we’re operating in a dynamic world with rapidly changing technologies and business models, such structures can become obsolete quickly. Traditional organizational structures place people in formal boxes which can limit
Getting Results with Steel or Velvet—A Critical Leadership Practice
Triple crown leaders—those seeking to build organizations that are excellent, ethical, and enduring—go beyond their natural leadership style, flexing between the hard edge of steel and the soft edge of velvet, depending on the situation and the people involved. (See our related article, “Steel and Velvet Leadership.”) They acknowledge their varying approaches referencing the organization’s shared values. This article dives deeper into getting results for your organization using steel and velvet. Getting Results with Velvet Leadership In velvet mode, triple crown leaders are coaches of their workers. They don’t micromanage their people. Instead, they leave their people free to
Leading People with Steel or Velvet–A Critical Leadership Practice
Triple crown leaders—those who aspire to build excellent, ethical, and enduring organizations—have learned to go beyond their natural leadership style, flexing between what we call “steel and velvet,” the hard and soft edges of leadership, depending on the situation and the people involved. Steel leadership demands excellent results, insists on ethical practices, and resists the allure of short-term thinking. Velvet leadership patiently builds organizational character, encouraging collaboration and using persuasion, not position power. Triple crown leaders invoke steel when necessary but employ velvet leadership much more often. This article dives deeper into the nuances of leading people with steel and
Communicating with Steel or Velvet–A Critical Leadership Practice
Article Summary: Many leaders don’t tailor their communication style to the situation. Effective leaders flex between steel and velvet (hard- and soft-edge) communication, depending on the situation and the people involved. +++ Of the five advanced leadership practices for building an organization that’s excellent, ethical, and enduring (from our book, Triple Crown Leadership), “steel and velvet” seems to be the most intriguing to many people. Steel and Velvet Triple crown leaders have learned to invoke the hard edge of leadership (steel) that demands excellent results, insists on ethical practices, and resists the allure of short-term thinking. These leaders have also
Giving and Receiving Compliments–An Important Leadership Practice
Article Summary: Many people are poor at giving and receiving compliments. That’s a shame. High-performance teams are superb at this skill, and praise can make a big difference in motivation. +++ What’s Wrong with This Exchange? Sam: “Amy, you did a great job on that rush project last week.” Amy (looking away and down): “It was no big deal.” Amy virtually dismissed Sam’s compliment. Instead, she might have smiled, looked him in his eyes, and said, “Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.” Or, if multiple people were involved, she might have said, “Thank you so much. We
Reading Body Language—A Neglected Leadership Skill
Article Summary: Reading body language is an underutilized skill for most of us. Body language and tone of voice are important communication conduits. +++ There’s a leadership capability we all have that is seriously underutilized—observing and reading body language. By reading what other people are communicating through their body language, we can significantly upgrade our leadership skills. Be an Observer Bob realized the importance of this while conducting a leadership workshop. An exercise involved about ten volunteers who agreed to be put into a pressure-filled situation. They first read a short scenario where each was given a role to
Why Do You Want to Lead?
Article Summary: Knowing why you want to lead is essential. If your motive to lead is selfish, you’ll fail. Your ego is a leadership toxin. +++ Why do you want to lead? It’s important to know that—important to your future and to those you lead. Leading Is a Choice You may get thrust into a position of authority when a vacuum exists. Most times, though, leadership is a choice you make. If offered, you can agree to step into a position of authority. You can choose. You can also choose to lead without a title or formal authority. Knowing
How to Create a Shared Purpose, Values, and Vision
Article Summary: Many people these days are cynical about an organization’s purpose, values, and vision because they’re platitudes. But great leaders collaboratively elicit them from the team and then weave them into the fabric of the organization. +++ Whether you’re the CEO, a department manager, or a small business owner, we encourage you to create a purpose, values, and vision statement for your organization. We call them your “colors.” This is one of the critical leadership practices to create a high-performance organization. The Importance of Colors In our book, Triple Crown Leadership, we use the metaphor of thoroughbred horseracing.
