It starts with moral failure...

 

 

Morality refers to a generally accepted set of standards by which people associate with each other in society.  These values change over time but remain as guiding principles and expectations by the majority.

Now pause and think back to a time when a leader that you know/knew started to become ineffective.  I am not referring to that individual who was blatantly incompetent but rather to the one whose performance ceased to be worthy of a leader.

I’ll bet that in most instances their decline came at a moment of moral or ethical failure that impacted their ability to perform at the levels that others had come to expect.

There have been some high profile examples that speak to this point. 

Bill Gates was ‘asked’ to step down at Microsoft.  Steve Easterbrook at McDonald’s was fired.  Neither was incompetent at their jobs but both had moral failings that compromised their ability to lead. 

Dennis Muilenburg at Boeing was replaced.  His moral failing was pride that he could lie about the performance of the 737 Max hoping to get away with it.

We see it in the area of government, entertainment and religion as well.  How many politicians have been forced out of office because of moral or ethical failures?  Across a broad range of faiths, leaders have been compromised by moral failings resulting in their removal from office.

How many ‘Harvey Weinstein’s’ are still out there?

We have seen similar events happen with Boy Scouts and now, in Canada, Hockey Canada. 

In most instances the activities have not been illegal.  They have been serious breaches of the standards of behavior or conduct that society has rightly expected.

Some of these leaders thought that they were clever enough that they could fool their constituencies.  Few have proven that assumption to be true.

I don’t know how or when a leader begins to believe that they are above the rest and that the expectations do not apply to them.  In some small way perhaps we are part of the problem because we have tended to elevate leaders in all aspects of society.  And the human condition is simply not built to be worshipped…

Leaders need to keep that oversized mirror of self-awareness front and centre at all times.  Seek activities that breed humility to counter those that daily feed the ego in all of us. 

The old adage that says ‘…pride goes before the fall…’ is one that was crafted from experience, not from a fortune teller.

Lead with integrity and others will follow. Honour the faith and trust invested to you by others.

Maintaining the moral and ethical high ground never was a bad recipe.

Work harder, not smarter...

 

There are among us a select few who are exceptional.  These few have been graced with skills and abilities which set them apart from the masses. And they exist in all parts of our society.

It may be mental acuity; physical prowess; uncommon proficiency in the arts or music.  Regardless of their unique gift, they excel with an ease and certainty of accomplishment that makes us mere mortals recognize that indeed we are not all created equal.

And yet, even at this rarefied level of potential, some achieve so much more than others.  If they all have started within a narrow range of competency what separates one from another?  I submit that it is ‘working harder’.  Some are simply willing to make the sacrifices needed to hone their skills and abilities and to produce/perform at an exceptional level that is possible for all but achieved by few.

We have lived for the past decades with the motto ‘work smarter not harder’. That stands in sharp contrast to the work ethic of our ancestors. In my opinion that has only led to generations that have an expectancy of accomplishment that greatly exceeds the reality of their efforts. First of all, what really is ‘smarter’?  And secondly, when did working harder become a social taboo?

Work should be hard.  It should stretch our abilities.  It should challenge us and reward us.  It should make us better in the ‘doing’ as well as in the ‘completing’.

In stating this opinion let me also champion the need for balance.  We develop sayings in response to realities and the one that says ‘all work and no play makes one a dull person’ has much truth.  Someone who has only one priority seldom lives a happy and fulfilled life.

By extension, one who only works hard will have no standard by which to measure or enjoy their success. We need balance of activities in our lives to ensure that we do not become one dimensional creatures of habit.

We are informed by surveys over the past decades that employees are less and less engaged.  Some feel that their contributions are not properly recognised.  Some say it is because they have a lousy boss.  Some say that they are not compensated well enough.

Could it be that they really are not challenged by what they do; that they don’t have to exert themselves mentally and/or physically to accomplish their tasks; that there is no fulfilling sense of accomplishment and thus no personal satisfaction in a job well done?

Technology has made work easier and there is much to praise in these advances.  But we are built for work as well as play.  And when it takes effort to not just ‘do’ but to ‘excel’ the individual derives so much more knowing that it was their choice to work harder that led to that outcome.

Let’s celebrate hard work again.  I believe we need to push more to reach our full potential.