Michael (not his real name) was the CEO of a family owned company, with about 100 employees, that has a niche market serving custom marine, aero and road vehicles, including motorcycles. (I’ve also altered enough description to ensure confidentiality) The company is sixty years old and Michael is the grandson of the founder. He’s young […]
There are two ways to read that headline, and both are correct. The leader’s behaviour creates, or tolerates or influences the culture. The leader has a primary responsibility for setting or adjusting the culture. You can walk into a business and spend about an hour working and conversing with the people and be able to […]
Everything about leadership has already been written, argued, demonstrated and preached continuously for at least 5000 years. The evidence proving the importance of leadership is overwhelming and unarguable. Every respected learning institution has a school devoted to leadership. Despite this, we see operating organisations of all types, with the possible exception of defence establishments, minimising […]
There is a ubiquitous crisis of leadership in the workplace. Gallup says 82% of managers are the wrong fit. Executives are both leaders and managers. They lead people and manage processes and things. We can’t manage people, we can only either lead them or not. Sadly, most executives are chosen, not for pre-existing leadership or […]
Not all Australian leaders are incompetent or morally bankrupt. Just too many in too many crucial positions. Such as in politics (all sides), where they’ve forsaken the good of the country for their own good. Such as the big banks where they’ve forsaken their employees, customers and shareholders for their own disgustingly generous and totally […]
Mindfulness seems to be a hot topic right now, and not clearly understood, especially in the context of leadership and the workplace. We hear elaborate explanations referring to Buddhist and similar doctrines which are helpful in the longer term in the personal development and spiritual space. However, they need to mean something more direct and […]
Max (not his real name) was my new client, a CEO of a mid-sized infrastructure service provider (industry changed for privacy). He had asked me to help him improve his leadership skills. I agreed because he had the ‘learner’s attitude’, despite his solid experience as a respected senior leader. He believed in continuous improvement and […]
Ineffective leadership is the biggest reversible cost to a business. If the leadership is dysfunctional at the top, then it gravitates downwards, infecting leaders at other levels. However, dysfunction in leadership at any level will have a negative impact at all levels of the business. The costs come from loss of: - talent engagement productivity […]
Asking and listening – that’s it. Gone are the days when leaders could just be command and control addicts. Gone are the days when leaders are anointed the alleged gurus in their field. Educated informed and concerned employees worth their salt need more than gurus and bosses. Google is guru and bosses are dinosaurs. Today’s […]
Are you shocked that Gallup says 82% of management hires are the wrong fit? The responsibility for that horrible statistic lies jointly with the company and their recruitment service provider. Resumes, referee checks and the usual interviews are not enough to make the right choice. Making the wrong choice is far worse than keeping the […]
