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9 Reasons to Lead in a No Spin Zone

5/29/2015

 
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Excellent new article by Mike Myatt “9 Reasons to Lead in a No Spin Zone–Leadership not deeply rooted in a foundation of truth is leadership destined to fail….” ties perfectly into our Executive Passage 360 Real Time Assessment.  Take a read of both…here is Mike’s article…

"Leadership not deeply rooted in a foundation of truth is leadership destined to fail. The reality is the best leaders are also absolutists when it comes to truth – they view truth as a non-negotiable. However in the wake of some of the recent, and highly publicized business, financial, and political scandals, it’s not too difficult to understand how some may actually question the existence of truth in business or government. If you peel back the layers on most of the debacles that often transform themselves into highly sensationalized headlines, you’ll see they often begin with rationalizations, justifications, posturing, and spin being substituted for the truth. In today’s column I’ll address the often overlooked benefits of truth telling as a key success metric. I think sometimes we all need to revisit reality and examine why we do the things we do. Truly great leaders view business as a no spin zone. The most successful business leaders of our time have built their reputations by letting right thinking, right decisioning, and right acting serve as their guide. If you have to manipulate the truth to gain an advantage, the advantage is not worth the perceived gain, for any advantage gained in deceit will surely come at a very high cost – the sacrifice of your honor and integrity.

While there is not an adult breathing today that hasn’t told a lie or dealt in shades of gray at some point in time, not everyone is pathological liar. What most people learn as they spend time in the refining fires of life is truth requires great courage. It was Goethe who said, “character develops itself in the stream of life.”  The harsh reality is it’s incredibly difficult to recover from a breach of trust, and many never do. While everyone makes mistakes, and most deserve a second chance, it’s just easier to tell the truth than to spend years attempting to rebuild.

A key difference between those leaders who succeed and those who fail is whether they are known for their honesty or lack thereof. One of the best traits you can possess as a leader is to be known for your candor. Whether in written or oral form, communication that is clear, concise, on point, and truthful will gain the respect and admiration of peers and subordinates alike. While many wannabe leaders possess the ability to selectively self-edit on the fly as they wax eloquent for the purpose of persuading their audience, true leaders understand that all the justifications and rationalizations in the world cannot replace the value of the truth.

The truth is an interesting tool in that it is often a difficult master to serve. Telling the truth is not always easy, and may subject you to substantial opposition and controversy over the short run, but it will do nothing but help build your reputation, success and sustainability over the long haul. While I’ve come across many executives who’ve been able to achieve short term success with less than honorable conduct, these successes to the one have been short lived as poor business practices will eventually be found out and in turn will unwind any ill-gotten gains. However I have yet to meet a leader who has endured the test of time without having an exceptionally strong moral compass. When reflecting about how you communicate and conduct business with others consider the following thoughts:

1. Telling the truth is a habit. For those not grounded in the truth you’ll find that it requires practice. It was Einstein who said, “weakness of attitude becomes weakness in character.” Each truth-telling event strengthens you for another, and each one gets easier until telling the truth becomes second nature. It is never too late to start telling the truth. Regardless of whatever your past indiscretions might be, you can change your future by beginning to tell the truth today. Truth is a habit well worth forming.

2. Telling the Truth is the right thing to do. Lying is wrong. It’s just that simple, and oh by the way, omitting, editing, spinning, blurring or repurposing the truth is also wrong. Selective truth telling is synonymous with being a liar. Resist any form of deceit or manipulation if you want to achieve sustainable success.

3. The heaviest baggage you can carry is a lie. By opting not to tell the truth you are simultaneously opting to take on the heaviness of the burden of deceit. Each time you encounter a person, circumstance, or situation that reminds you of the untruth, your conscience will weigh you down as you become a fugitive in your own mind running from the lie you told.

4. Lies will always come back to haunt you. We’ve all witnessed some fairly elaborate cover-ups, and as we’ve all seen they always turn out the same way… in disasters that could have been avoided had the truth been told to begin with. You might be able to run, but you can’t hide from your lies. While you might be able to conceal your deceit for a time, your lies will always resurface at some point in the future…it may be a week, a month or a decade but they will find you out.

5. Lies create a barrier to personal and professional development. Time, energy and worry are often spent on hashing and rehashing wrong acts and untruths. Instead of wasting resources on fruitless endeavors, you could be investing in transacting business, building relationships, learning, or any number of other positive things.

6. Truth strengthens your reputation and enhances your personal brand. If you consistently and effortlessly tell the truth a strange thing happens; other people will notice. You will quickly earn the respect of others by becoming known as a person of character and integrity. There is no more valuable mental association you can tie to your personal brand than that of integrity.

7. Truth deepens the quality of relationships. There is a distinct difference between the surface level acquaintances who will gravy-train your success and the deep professional relationships and true friendships who will endure the test of time regardless of circumstances.

8. A clear conscience leads to a healthy mind. It’s a nice feeling to be able to look at yourself in the mirror each morning and actually like what you see. I don’t know about you, but I have better things to do than try and remember all the different stories that I’ve told to people. The truth is a gentle, healing practice that keeps your conscience clear, provides you with a positive outlook, and a confident & formidable presence.

9. Truth is a powerful example. As a leader you have in fact chosen to be a role model, and as such it is incumbent upon you to model the truth. When friends, peers, subordinates, competitors, vendors, partners, suppliers, investors, lenders, etc. see that you actually walk the talk, you will not only have earned their confidence and respect, but you’ll find that they will also try to model that behavior.

I think the Bible says it best: ”The truth will set you free.” It has been said a person is only as sick as their secrets, and I would strongly encourage you to be honest and forthright in your communications and actions as you’ll be healthier, happier and more successful.  Thoughts?   Follow me on Twitter @mikemyatt


Boards Remain Pale, Male and Stale….

5/29/2015

 
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Hot off the press, but same old news….”Boards Remain Pale, Male and Stale” says Forbes leadership contributor Mike Myatt in his latest article on Board Diversity….

“The simple truth is U.S. companies lag many other developed nations with regard to board diversity.  As an example, in countries like Sweden and Finland women hold nearly 30% of board seats, and Norway has a quota mandating women hold 40% of board seats. Given there have been numerous studies showing company performance on diverse boards exceeds that of those boards composed of male only members, it’s no wonder other countries have changed their practices. It’s time U.S. corporations follow suit.

While I’m a strong advocate of diversity, I’m not particularly in favor of mandates. I don’t believe our nation has often been well served by legislative mandates (even when well-intentioned) forced upon a free citizenry. Diversity has the most positive impact when blending occurs organically. When corporations lead with shared core values that place serving a greater purpose above serving the self-interests of a few, diversity naturally becomes the rule as opposed to the exception.

Interestingly, just last month, the State of California passed Senate Resolution 62, which calls for publicly held companies headquartered in California with boards of nine or more to fill a minimum of three of those seats with women, for boards with five to eight directors to fill a minimum of two of those seats with women, and for smaller boards to fill at least one seat with a woman. While this resolution stopped short of a mandate, it did signal what I believe is a step toward urging more equitable board composition.

Patricia Lenkov, who chairs my company’s executive search practice, and who sits on the advisory board for 20/20 Women on Boards, has long held the belief that “board diversity isn’t a supply problem, but rather it’s a demand problem.” I concur wholeheartedly. Chairs, CEOs, and lead directors must take a principled, vocal stand and demand boards reconstitute themselves in a fashion that best serves the fiduciary role with which they are charged.

My bottom line is this – corporations cannot appropriately represent the constituencies they serve until they are representatively led by members of those same constituencies. It is impossible to understand and engage in a meaningful fashion where those deserving a voice are denied a seat at the table. I’m not advocating for selecting directors who are anything other than the best person for the job, but we should all recognize the best person for the job is not universally a 56 year old, Ivy League educated, white male.”

Thoughts?  Follow me on Twitter @mikemyatt



Vacation—time to take my own advice.

5/29/2015

 
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Just landed at LAX, soon boarding our flight to Mexico for 10 days to soak up the sun, rest, replenish…and take my own advice!  Loved the recent article in the New York Times:  Relax!  You’ll be More Productive,  excerpt below:

“Taking more time off is counterintuitive for most of us. The idea is also at odds with the prevailing work ethic in most companies, where downtime is typically viewed as time wasted. More than one-third of employees, for example, eat lunch at their desks on a regular basis. More than 50 percent assume they’ll work during their vacations.

In most workplaces, rewards still accrue to those who push the hardest and most continuously over time. But that doesn’t mean they’re the most productive.

Spending more hours at work often leads to less time for sleep and insufficient sleep takes a substantial toll on performance. In a study of nearly 400 employees, published last year, researchers found that sleeping too little — defined as less than six hours each night — was one of the best predictors of on-the-job burn-out. A recent Harvard study estimated that sleep deprivation costs American companies $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity….."

Click here for the full article by Tony Schwartz.  See you when I return from Mexico!


The Biggest Mistake A Leader Can Make

5/29/2015

 
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Watch out for these leadership pitfalls from Mike Myatt @ Forbes....

"Thanks to Procentus I’ve recently been introduced to a video blog from the Harvard Business Review on the biggest mistake a leader can make with ten insights from top academics and business thinkers. What they have to say may surprise you.

Top Ten Bad Behaviors
  1. Putting self interest first - Bill George, Professor, Harvard Business School and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic
  2. Everything focused on the leader – Scott Snook, , Associate Professor, Harvard Business School and retired Colonel, US Army Corps of Engineer
  3. Becoming too enamored of their own vision – Gianpiero Petriglieri, Affiliate Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD
  4. Acting too fast – Jonathan Doochin, Leadership Institute at Harvard College
  5. Failing to embrace uncertainty - Dr. Ellen Langer, Professor, Harvard University
  6. Arrogance – Carl Sloane, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School
  7. Lacking self-reflection – Daisy Wademan Dowling, Executive Director, Leadership Development at Morgan Stanley
  8. Failing to live up to their espoused values – Andrew Pettigrew, Professor, Said Business School, University ofOxford
  9. Being Inauthentic – Scott Snook, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School and retired Colonel, US Army Corps of Engineers
  10. Betraying trust – Evan Wittenberg, Head of Global Leadership Development, Google, Inc."


Click here to read more.


8 Tips For Leading Those Who Don’t Want to Follow

5/29/2015

 
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Essential tips for leaders from Mike Myatt @ Forbes. Read below.

"Want to test your leadership mettle? See how well you do when leading those not inclined to follow. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people may be comforting, it might even seem like a good idea, but it’s not the stuff of great leadership.

The best leaders are not only capable of effectively leading those who hold differing opinions and perspectives – they thrive on it. In today’s column I’ll share 8 Tips for transforming tough relationships into productive relationships.

Poor leaders find themselves mired down in organizations unnecessarily suffering from corporate politics, turf-wars, empire building, title inflated ego and arrogance, and the list goes on… Effective leaders don’t have to deal with the aforementioned dysfunction because they understand how to align opposing views and diverse interests.

If unique perspectives, philosophical differences, and dissenting opinions are viewed as an opportunity as opposed to a set-back, growth and development are certain to follow. What I like to refer as “positional gaps” are best closed by listening to all sides, finding common ground, and then letting the principle of doing the right thing guide the process.

When a leader develops the skill to convert negative conflict into creative tension, they have found the secret sauce for developing high performance teams. Mature leaders see individual differences as fuel for development, not as barriers to success. The goal of a leader is not to clone him/herself, but to harness individual strengths for the greater good of the organization. This is best accomplished by respecting individual talents; not stifling them…"

Click here to read more.

Why You’re Not A Leader

5/29/2015

 
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I came across this great article by Mike Myatt. 
Below is an excerpt:

Everybody thinks they’re a leader – most are far from it. The harsh reality is that we live in a world awash with wannabe leaders. As much as some don’t want to admit it, not everyone can or should become a leader (my take on the born vs. made argument). Simply desiring to be a leader doesn’t mean a person has the character, skill, and courage necessary to be a leader.

If you think you’re a leader, but haven’t been recognized as such, you have a problem. Either you’re incorrect in your self-assessment, or those you report to don’t recognize your talent. Here’s the good news; handled correctly, either scenario can be resolved if you’re willing to do some work.

I’m often asked what it takes to get to the top – it’s as if people want an add water and mix recipe for leadership. While there are many paths to leadership, they’re certainly not all created equal. Perhaps a more telling issue in today’s world is many of those desiring to get ahead, have no desire to help others get ahead.

I never cease to be amazed at the numbers of people in leadership positions that shouldn’t be. Likewise, I’ve stopped being surprised when those charged with leadership development can’t seem to figure out what constitutes a leader. It’s my hope the following list will eliminate the confusion about why someone isn’t a leader. You’re not a leader if…

1. You don’t get results: Real leaders perform – they get the job done – they consistently exceed expectations. No results = no leadership –it’s just that simple…

Click here to read more.

Is Your Leadership All Sizzle and No Steak?

5/23/2015

 
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Below is an excerpt from an article on leadership by Mike Myatt of Forbes that I encourage you to read.

"All sizzle and no steak is not a formula for leadership success.
If your organization looks good, but lacks substance, then I would submit this unfortunate condition is a reflection of your leadership team. Great leadership isn’t meant to be proprietary – it’s not exclusive, but inclusive. In fact, truly great leadership cannot be contained – it’s a contagion destined to be transferred to others. Let me be clear – it’s not how a leader positions themselves that matters, it’s what they do, who they impact, and what they accomplish that matters. The reality is weak leadership really isn’t that hard to detect – it’s disengaged, aloof, arrogant, dismissive, disingenuous and self-glorifying. In today’s column I’ll share 3 observations which will help leaders focus on the steak and not the sizzle.

1) Stop Talking – Start Doing  
2)
Be Part of the Solution – Not The Problem
3)
Fixing The Problem – Make a Decision and Then Act On It...."

....    To read the complete article click here.

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