Leaders and their mistakes

Tari Lang LinkedIn post 15 June 2017

"Mr Cameron’s dismal record is fixed forever in the history books. Mrs May still has a chance to write a redeeming codicil." So says Philip Stephens in the Financial Times this week. The ultimate price for a leader who has made a gigantic judgement or strategic error is mostly a gigantic fall. For a national leader, the process is public, (often) quick and less forgiving. With support from the leader's coterie this process might be delayed but end in a fall it will be. As they say in cop shows: "you can do it the hard way or you can do it the easy way". Corporate leaders too, make blundering mistakes. CEOs have learned to apologise (with or without pressure), remember James Staley and https://lnkd.in/gXqBkEg ? Oscar Munoz's https://lnkd.in/gsBRqEK ? But eating humble pie, following up with a change of direction in the interest of the institution and stakeholders, being forgiven and surviving? Less obvious to find and the recent shenanigans at Uber is testament to this. It may be that the saying "every saint has a past and every sinner has a future" is as impossible in corporate life as it is in government. https://lnkd.in/gBvN7ru

Comments

Panic and the absence of leadership

I often borrow a line commonly used in crime movies when I see yet another leadership organisation fall from grace: "You could have done this the easy way, but you chose to do it the hard way". Oxfam was a hitherto admired institution, having done impressive work around the world for more than 75 years, respected for its engagement with donors big and small, its courage in working in war- and disaster-torn regions, and its commitment to equality and fairness. The Haiti scandal has rocked it to its core, putting into question its ability to continue its operations, as governments are rethinking funding levels, donors withdrawing sponsorship and customers pulling out of their shops. In other words, it is losing its licence to operate. There are so many lessons that can be learned from brands which fail to protect their culture, vision and reputation. United Airlines CEO's response to the treatment of one of its passengers on a flight, Bell Pottinger's colla

Authenticity and public gaffs

Tari's LinkedIn post 8 November 2018 Interesting that in this otherwise fascinating article, the word 'authenticity' only came up once. If you're a boss of any sort (politics or business), your first step should be to get in touch with your own authenticity and check how aligned this is with a) the organisation you lead or represent, b) expectations of your stakeholders, and c) the prevailing zeitgeist. Yes, presentation and avoiding-gaffs training can help but better still, get the thinking, the emotions and the behaviours right. The bonus is that you'll feel less nervous about making a gaff when out and about in public because you're not second-guessing what might constitute a gaff. There's a bonus in doing this: you get to lead your organisation better and your staff also get to live a culture of authenticity

From change and transformation to sustainability

"...only if the lightbulb wants to change..." Like or hate it, Brexit will bring enormous change for businesses through transformed regulation, trade policies, labour laws, new financial management, and many other challenges. "...while Britain and Europe are negotiating over what happens to European Union citizens who now work in Britain (as well as Britons who work in other European Union countries), no-one is sure how these ralks will go..." ( NYT Sept 18, 2017 ). Many employees' lives will be transformed in deeply personal ways. They may need to move to a different country, they may be working under a different regime or leadership. Their hours of work, pay scales and contractual obligations may change, their reporting lines and accountability shifted, their place of work reorganised. They may need to get used to a new corporate culture. Sounds familiar? Any change in an organisation needs to be embraced, lived and supported by its most precio

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