Archive for leadership
Leadership, Integrity, Trust…and Ski-Racing
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If you know the work of Enlightened Leadership Solutions, you know that we believe–and have experienced many times–that leadership can come from anywhere in an organization, from any level.
We challenge people to look at the kind of leadership they provide, with the knowledge that others in the organization are watching them and taking cues from them about what is important and valued, based on the behaviors they observe. Without integrity, an organization is eventually doomed to failure–karma, if you will.
In these dramatically changing times, individuals with integrity are beginning to step up as courageous leaders to challenge the direction of their firms. An example is the recent exposé of Goldman Sachs by Greg Smith, in his op-ed to the New York Times called, “Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs.”
Our personal integrity (or lack thereof) has a trickle-down or trickle-up effect on many people. How we do or do not demonstrate integrity sends a message about who we are. How does the lack of integrity affect us as individuals? That’s our focus today.
I had an example of low integrity this weekend that really got me thinking about this. It turned out to be a real gift, even though that was not my first reaction.
Distinguishing Leadership Skill Development from Management
Posted by: | CommentsWhen we do leadership skill training, it is always important to distinguish the business leadership skills and management skills. Following is a very brief video that does that:
What are your thoughts about this? Please comment below!
Ed Oakley & the Enlightened Leadership Team
CEO’s or Captains?: Personal Gain or Leadership?
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s Denver Post, highlighted the courage of two heroes:
one, U. S. Airways Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger who
successfully landed his plane on the Hudson River after the
engines became disabled; two, Captain Richard Phillips of the
Maersk Alabama, who allowed himself to be taken by pirates
to save his crew. Both of these men demonstrated courage and
skill, while taking total responsibility for their people in a situation
that could have been beyond their control. These men are not
captains in the military. They are civilians. They are managers.
Like managers everywhere they are in charge of capital
equipment, employees, customers, safety and goals.
Contrast them with the story earlier this week of ex-Qwest CEO
Joe Nacchio beginning to serve his 6-year prison sentence for
nsider trading. His name, adds to the list of wealthy CEO’s of
huge companies sentenced to prison for fraud and other crimes,
executives such as Bernard Ebber of WorldCom and Jeffrey
Skilling of Enron.
These CEO’s and the captains each faced extraordinarily difficult
situations—the CEO’s faced (helped create?) the financial
meltdown of their companies. The captains faced imminent,
perhaps catastrophic danger. The CEO’s acted like emperors,
grabbing riches and surrounding themselves with lawyers. The
captains assessed the situation, behaved as heroes, and in the
case of Captain Phillips, put his own life in danger to protect
his crew.
As managers we each decide daily if we have the true grit to
behave as these captains did, taking full and complete
responsibility for the situation and their charge. We can take
seminars in accountability or we can read the newspapers and
decide who are the real leaders and who we want to be.
by Jonette Crowley, Enlightened Leadership Solutions, Inc.
