Having spent my early career hunting humans, I know hunting elephants is as great a challenge.
I don’t mean hunting elephants in the wild or on game reserves. I mean in the boardroom and in the organisation.
The boardroom is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. If there’s an elephant in the boardroom, there’s at least a small herd of them in the business.
These elephants are well camouflaged. Whilst they are grey they are even more difficult to spot because their very substance is made from fear, habits and ignorance. That’s why no-one either sees them or does anything about them.
Hunting the elephant requires a very strong hunting platform at eye level to the elephant so it can be confronted head on.
This platform has four stout pillars – in front is courage and truth, in rear is respect and candour.
The elephant gun is double barrelled – adroit investigation and decisive well planned action.
The hunter is the most senior and able leader, aided by a trusted external expert who is skilled in tracking and spotting the elephants, supporting the leader and expert in the weapon.
Sometimes the elephant is connected to a senior leader – clearly this person cannot be the hunter. If the CEO is connected to an elephant then the Chairperson must be the hunter. If the connection is the Chairperson, then the CEO and appropriate board members must be the hunters. If there is more than one elephant connection on the board and in the senior leadership, then the external expert can be appointed hunter by those remaining senior leaders who have the courage and integrity to do so.
Here are the most likely elephants in boardroom:
- Ineffective relationships between the board and the C-level executives.
- A board who doesn’t know enough about the organisation’s culture and market.
- A board that approves unrealistic strategies.
- A board where unfair advantage is taken.
- A board only focussed on compliance.
- Board members who shouldn’t be there – the ones who just turn up for monthly meetings and offer no insights or challenges. Being well networked is no longer enough.
Here are the most likely members of the elephant herd in the organisation:
- Behavioural values breaches, particularly from senior people.
- The tolerance of unsatisfactory performance.
- A toxic culture.
- Corruption of any kind.
- The tolerance of systems and process flaws.
- Useless policies and practices.
Elephant hunting can be dangerous. Incorrectly handled, it could mean the death of a career. That’s why an external expert should be considered essential to the hunt.
What do you think?
