In my 25 years as an executive coach, time and again, I have seen brand-new CEOs with zero emotional intelligence, integrity, psychological flexibility, or the humility required to grow into a seriously challenging leadership position.
Why are some people with absolutely no leadership skills placed in positions of significant leadership in important political, private, and public sectors today?
I would like to see 2021 be a year in which we all are held to account – starting with board members – for making appropriate and sound decisions about who leads organizations. Strong, ethical, highly competent leadership creates the types of organizations that employees, leaders, citizens, members or other stakeholders are proud to be part of. A return to core values is essential. Financial performance cannot be the single, or even most important, leadership criterion.
What can we do to stop the decline in leadership skills? The answer is to ensure that the right people are identified, groomed, promoted, developed, and held accountable for performance. In identifying the right people, it is critical and fundamental to ensure integrity.
At EXCN, we believe in THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP®. Character counts, as do honor, integrity, ethical behavior, and doing the right thing.
The complete lack of leadership skills in Washington this week – the week of January 6th, 2021 – has sorely tried our entire country and especially those of us who lead organizations. Leaders of organizations cannot pretend that what happened at the U.S. Capitol did not happen. You must believe that those events are affecting every person on your team, in your organization. No matter what their political leanings, it is affecting them. I would like to refer you to a very clear, helpful article in Harvard Business Review, “How to Talk with Your Team About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol,” cited below.
How can you ensure that your leaders are honorable, ethical, and will unfailingly do the right thing? What should the conversation be right now in your organization?
“If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” – Harvey Mackay, American businessman and author
Further reading:
From Harvard Business Review :
