Posts Tagged ‘Transparency’

Refuse to Compromise

July 22nd, 2010
Uncompromising Principles

What Can't You Compromise On?

The art of leadership is understanding what you can’t compromise on.
- Seth Godin (Tribes)

In most definitions of leadership, an individual’s uncompromising character is a key attribute. In the above quote, Godin reveals an important clarification: he emphasizes that leaders must understand what they can not compromise on. After reading this from his Tribes book, I realized this was an important matter many leaders today do not fully appreciate. Instead, most leaders today determine what they want not, choose not or should not compromise on.  These positions are not strong enough for leaders that truly want to serve their organizations. For example:

1. Want Not to Compromise: “Wanting” is a matter of personal preference. Personal preference can be compromised and is therefore the lowest degree of commitment between wanting, choosing and knowing what one should do.

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Servant Leaders Can Be Mean Too

October 28th, 2009


One misconception about Servant Leaders is that they are just “too nice”. Many executives hear the term “Servant Leader” and think, “that person will never make it in our environment” or, “they’ll just go easy on the staff and we’ll never get anything done”. Then there is my favorite: “Servant Leaders just want to be liked by everyone”. In reality, Servant Leaders can seem quite mean, depending upon the circumstances. Below are four examples of servant leaders that even Donald Trump could be proud of….

  1. Accountability
    Servant Leaders accept the blame for failures within the team. However, in serving their organization and their stakeholders, they must ensure » Read more: Servant Leaders Can Be Mean Too

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Day in the Life of Your Team

September 19th, 2009

Note: The conclusion of our 3 part series, this message reflects on the perception and realities between leaders and individual contributors. Part one was “A Day in the Life of Your Staff“. Part two was “A Day in the Life of Your Boss“.

We saw both sides of the story. The individual contributor, Jonathon, working incredibly hard and striving to do the right thing, is misunderstood and feels undervalued. The team leader, Michelle, is looking out for the best interests of her team and the company, but is viewed as a taskmaster, unwilling to contribute the same long hours demanded of her team. The world is full of Jonathons and Michelles. The reality is, many individual contributors and team leaders are more alike than they may realize. This gap in understanding is often the result of insufficient transparency between the two. Below are some suggestions, framed by this business fable, for individual contributors and team leaders to improve transparency. » Read more: Day in the Life of Your Team

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Posted in Management, Parable, Servant Leadership

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Day in the Life of Your Boss

August 23rd, 2009

First time managers often realize they underestimated how many additional responsibilities management entails and the efforts supervisors perform behind the scenes. So, before you suggest your boss does not work as hard as you, does not appreciate your contributions, or simply doesn’t “get it”, consider this short parable about one such – admittedly imperfect – manager. It begins with a long, restful evening…

A Day in the Life of Your BossSleeping In
Michelle awoke to the obnoxious sound of her alarm clock ringing at 2:45 AM. It was 3:45 PM for her Asian colleagues she had visited earlier that month. While there, she learned how frustrating it was for her team members to always conform to U.S. time zones. Michelle believed in supporting her team and began accommodating them by awaking incredibly early for these weekly calls. Ugh, she groaned, rolling out bed, trying not to wake her husband anymore than the alarm clock. » Read more: Day in the Life of Your Boss

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Posted in Management, Parable, Servant Leadership

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A Day in the Life of Your Staff

August 23rd, 2009

How well do you know what members of your team do on a regular basis? Consider this parable of one employee’s interactions with his supervisor. It’s part one in a three part piece on the importance of transparency between leaders and their team. We begin with a reflection on the peaceful nights so many individual contributors experience…

Employee Working Late at Night
Peaceful Nights
Jonathon woke to his Blackberry ringing. Rolling over, still blurry-eyed, he saw the alarm clock glaring back with “3:05 AM”. » Read more: A Day in the Life of Your Staff

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