Leadership 101

For over a decade I have commented that the most important quality in a leader is their character.  This overrides any outstanding virtue associated with competencies.  And while it is obviously best to have a strong mixture of both, the absence of character is far more devastating to success than an absence of competence.

This week we are seeing that played out in real time in the conflict raging in Ukraine.

President Zelenski entered office in 2019 with no prior experience on the political stage.  Apart from playing the role of President in a Ukrainian TV comedy, his background is devoid of any political experience.

In contrast, Russia’s Putin has been on the political stage for almost 30 years.  He served in municipal roles prior to ascending to the big stage almost 20 years ago.  During this time he has honed his political skills.  But he has sacrificed any notion of character in a single minded pursuit of power.

In the David versus Goliath conflict that we are witnesses to, the Ukrainian citizens have rallied behind a leader who declared ‘…give me weapons, not an escape plan…’ His courage and faith in the resolve of his people is inspiring support around the world.  How long it will last remains uncertain but his legacy is being built every hour.

In Russia, thousands are facing arrest and imprisonment by demonstrating against Putin.  Members of his own cabinet are opposed to his actions and the world’s condemnation is coming from all corners.  His legacy is being torn down minute by minute.

It has been said that everything works out in the end.  If it has not yet worked out, then it is not the end.  CHARACTER WILL ALWAYS WIN IN THE END. Let us celebrate in advance the victory that will come…when the end has been written.

Rights and Freedoms

 

As demonstrations across Canada continue against the imposition of mandates-federal and provincial-in relation to efforts to control the spread of the Covid 19 virus, a minority of the population have come to the conclusion that their rights and freedoms have been usurped. 

This is not correct.

The opening paragraph of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms states:

          “...The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society….”

The pandemic is a crisis unlike any we have seen in a century.  In Canada, millions have been infected; tens of thousands have died; and untold numbers have or will experience long lasting complications from their experience with the virus. 

It has been the responsibility of our elected officials at all levels of government to enact measures that, in their collective wisdom, provide the greatest protection for ALL.  Some may disagree with the decisions that have been taken, but many, many more would be upset had the government not taken steps to curb the impact on society from the consequences of inaction.

Regardless of which side of the coin you find yourself, we all must remember this.  Rights and freedoms come with a concurrent task; that is responsible behaviour. In a democratic society, our freedoms call us exercise those rights and freedoms without impeding the rights and freedoms of others. Demonstrate if you will, but in a manner which befits the privileges that you have and that you would want another to extend to you.

To those who disagree, speak loudly…with your vote. 

Corporate North Americas Shame

 

In the year 2000 all but 2 of the Fortune 500 companies were headed by men.  Fast forward to 2021 and that number is now 41. We are only 209 short of parity!

At this rate, growth of about 2 per year, the Fortune 500 should reach gender equality by the year 2125…just a mere 105 years from now.

Sorry but I don’t have time for this nonsense to continue.  It’s not as if men have some superior ability to manoeuver companies through difficult times.  Hell, they often fail during good times.

Steve Easterbrook of McDonald’s was fired because of personal, not professional incompetence.  He was caught showing off his Big Mac to too many women in the company.

Dennis Muilenburg of Boeing decided it was more important to sell airplanes than to be certain that they could fly.

The CEO of a company named ‘Better’ fired 900 employees in early December on a Zoom call. Mr. Garg is now taking time off as the company ‘…performs a leadership and cultural assessment…’  They might want to consider a new name as well!

A PWC study (released in 2018) of 2500 companies around the world showed that the average tenure of a CEO was about 5 years.  That suggests that even if the rate of the Fortune 500 was double that average, there should be 50 positions becoming available every year. 

Why women are not placed in at least half of these suggests three things.

1.     Companies are doing an insufficient and ineffective mentoring process to identify and groom women in their succession planning processes.

2.     Boards of Directors are not moving away fast enough from the ‘old boy’s network’ for filling top positions. These Boards need to be replaced themselves.

3.     Search firms are not fulfilling their responsibilities by seeking out and recommending qualified women for these roles.  To rephrase a statement by G. K. Chesterton ‘…it’s not that female leadership has been tried and found wanting; rather, it has been perceived as threatening and therefore left untried…’  Search firms must become leaders and not followers in these matters or risk becoming as irrelevant as the Boards they purport to serve.

Institutional investors must likewise demand more diversity, for women and other visible minorities.  Activist firms have long demanded changes at the senior level when it suits their purposes.  There is simply no longer any valid excuse for making experience at a urinal a prerequisite for the corner office. 

My fear is that without a serious and concerted effort to demand changes, even the so called gains of the past 20 years will begin to erode.  There is clearly a movement against women’s and minority rights in the US.  Whether it is related to abortion or voting rights, historical rights are being overturned.  This cannot bode well for the expectation of fair treatment in Corporate America as companies fall in line with the rhetoric against these under-represented groups.

All companies in the Fortune 500 should have an equal number of male and female candidates in their succession plan.  I would also urge smaller companies to make similar efforts as effective leadership is becoming an increasingly critical component of future success. 

Denying yourself the consideration of and access to over half the population is about as intelligent as trying to catch a falling knife.  It only results in self-inflicted wounds.

Have you got five minutes

 

 

Life is a series of interactions. 

Some are personal…some are planned…some are serendipitous

All of these interactions have served to build the reservoir of experience, knowledge and ultimately wisdom that has brought you to this point in your life and career. Clearly some of these interactions have been more special than others.

What if you would take but five minutes to reach out to those who had served you well?  To whom would you want to say ‘…thank you; you made an important contribution to my life…’

I don’t mean family members or others in your close circle.  I’m referring to that coach who prodded you to work harder to develop your skills; that co-worker who offered encouragement during a difficult time; a mentor who came alongside for a period of time; the leader who put trust in your abilities that you could not see in yourself.

We have an aversion to getting too transparent…too vulnerable.  It’s a common and natural self defence mechanism.  Combine that with the immortality that most of us take for granted, and it becomes all too easy to procrastinate.

Right now stop reading this blog and compile of list of the most important people who have built into your life.  Then communicate with each of them in manner that expresses the importance of their influence.

Following through on this suggestion will bless you and them more that you will ever know…and that’s the perfect reason for doing it!

Are You Honest with the Mirror?

 

It’s no secret that I believe that character trumps competency when it comes to leadership. From setting standards and expectations, to guiding and supporting and acknowledging others, it falls upon the leader to lead by example.

The first task of each day must therefore start with a personal challenge.  Are you being honest with the mirror?  Does the image that you reflect honestly reflect the person you really are?  Or is it a mirage, a picture of what you hope others see but which you know is not true?

No one sees a perfect image.  You see the warts that others cannot. 

But if all you do is camouflage the blemishes without committing to change them, the mirror will always expose you.  And it is only a matter of time before others see them too.

As the leader, you must be as fully devoted to the standards – legal, ethical and moral – as those whom you lead. The least bit of hypocrisy will undermine your efforts regardless of your best efforts of denial.

Conquer the challenge the mirror presents.  In time that mirror will smile back at you!

The top five reasons to deny women roles of leadership!

 For what seems like forever, women have been denied the opportunity to take on the most senior levels of leadership in our society.  People have postulated any number of reasons to deny them of this privilege. 

The following are the top five, not in any particular order of importance.  Once you fully understand the rationale, it’s hard not to agree that we are fortunate indeed to have kept them out of offices of responsibility and influence.

 

1.   Women lack experience.  While that is true, the reality is that it is not for lack of trying but for lack of opportunity.  Men have successfully blocked attempts for women to infiltrate the upper echelons of the hierarchy. Private clubs or golf courses have historically been the ideal networking venues for men.  Women, on the other hand, have been serving in soup kitchens, supporting women’s shelters and aiding charities.  The disparities could hardly be more startling and the preparation for leadership more succinct.

Women continue to be under-represented on Boards of Directors, with North American numbers being under 25%.  Even worse, the number of women in executive positions is under 20%

The deck is stacked against them, and other minorities.  At current rates, it will take 50 years before boards and executive ranks reach full diversity.

2.   Women are underqualified. The reality is that almost 40% of MBA graduates are women and almost 50% of new enrolments are women.  These numbers have continued to grow over the past 20 years.  Interestingly the gender split in law and medicine is 50/50 and we have seen no degradation in the quality of service provided in either occupation. 

It is not that women have been tried in positions of responsibility and influence and been found unfit.  Rather it is a case that their fitness represented a threat to men and so it remains untried.

3.   Women are too emotional.  To this I have one word…testosterone. Case closed. 

4.   Women lack strength.  Tried childbirth… 

Leadership has nothing to do with physical strength.  Leadership is about character and mental fitness and women score higher in both categories.  Like all minorities, they have to work twice as hard as a man to be recognized in the workplace while continuing to carry an unequal burden of responsibility in the home.

The reality is that most men would revolt if they were expected to assume the weight of responsibility that most women endure every day.

5.   Women are poor negotiators. When all else fails, create a lie and keep repeating it.  In time it will become your truth.

The reality is that in order to even be considered for executive positions, women have had to navigate the minefield of male egos.  That has taken much more subtle negotiation than any male could achieve.

You need to understand that for women it is not an ‘either / or’ proposition.  More often it is a ‘both / and’ compromise that accomplishes more without destroying the other party.

 

The definition of an idiot is one who continues to fail doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.  On that basis we must all count ourselves idiots as we have perpetuated the myth that only a man can lead effectively.

I, for one, am done.  I am prepared to support a woman to lead a company, a city or a nation. It has been a century or more that most countries liberated women with the right to vote.  It is well past time that we move out of the way and support their right to lead.

A message to the unvaccinated

 

For much of the past two years we have individually and collectively endured one of the worst pandemics in the history of mankind.  Hundreds of millions have been infected. Tens of millions have died.  Few have been untouched. This has been a shared tragedy.

For much of the past year vaccinations have become available to provide a significant level of protection to those fortunate enough to receive one of the several formulas that have been developed.  Over 6 billion doses have been administered around the world with remarkable efficacy and with fewer negative consequences than any vaccine against any disease in history. 

The vaccines provide protection for the recipient and by extension, for those with whom they come in contact.  The vaccines are free and save lives.

Yet a remarkable number among us have not been vaccinated, by personal choice.

For those with medical reasons for exemption from vaccination, I hope that you are able to remain safe by following health guidelines and associating with others who practice likewise.

I understand and appreciate that there are some who have chosen to exercise a personal religious decision against vaccinations.  To those of you in this category I commend you for honouring your god above the state.  But will you change your mind if you become infected and seek treatment at over-crowded hospitals or retain your beliefs in private and trust for your recovery?

There are those who have determined that this is a matter of personal choice and will therefore not be forced by the ‘state’ to be vaccinated.  It is true that in most jurisdictions you have a right to refuse remedies such as vaccinations.  And personal rights should not be lightly ignored.  But as a member of society you also have responsibilities and obligations to a ‘greater good’, that is, to work and behave in a manner which serves to benefit all of us.

We obey laws which are intended to establish normative behaviour that we can all expect from others.  We have customs which respect and perpetuate our personal histories and heritages. We engage others with ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and other societal graces that are neither rights nor obligations but which make society ‘work’.

It is to these practices that I appeal to your higher nature of good to set aside your rights.  Choose to contribute to the betterment of society by joining with it rather than standing apart, and at greater risk to yourself and those in your company.  Choose to do that which your rights do not require you to do but which your responsibility to society begs you to do. Choose to lead by example and not by becoming a statistic.

Many places are now firmly in a fourth wave of this infection.  Vaccination rates are very high in many areas, yet some remain well below the average. This only perpetuates the situation. 

If you yearn to be able to fully exercise your rights again…going to the restaurant or bar, taking in a movie, attending a concert or game…then the rest of us need YOU to join forces.  Consider it enlisting for the battle that has come to our shores and which requires all of us to be activists, not pacifists, in the battle none of us foresaw but in which all of us are needed.

Your participation is needed and urgent. 

Thanks from the rest of us.