In the March 28, 2012, Wall Street Journal, under the Careers Section on page B6, under In the News and Trends, was a startling report of a recent Korn / Ferry International Survey. The headline on the report was, “Top Executives No Good?” The reporter goes on to summarize the Korn / Ferry research project with these statements: “Only one in four managers believes their company has an adequate leadership team in place to drive growth,” and “About half the executives surveyed said their firms needed to get at least some new talent, or invest in leadership development.”
I believe we should be aware, reflective and careful about our willingness to embrace all the negativity currently running throughout the news media, as well as business magazines. In this environment, with an election year looming over emotions and creating supercharged opinions, it is important to remember that much of what passes as facts are indeed personal opinions, often times being spun for an undying but unrevealed motive or reason. It takes no skill to throw stones and point out weaknesses of men and women who are in leadership positions. It takes great skill to be able to help individuals and their organizations raise their performance, as well as their leadership values and behaviors. Today, we are surrounded by “Experts” whose energy is spent on pointing out what is wrong, and stirring up a whirlwind of negativity, but offering little in the way of substantive solutions to the problems being so readily identified.
As you go forward in April, I would ask you to think about your own experiences. What are your ideas and suggestions on actions you can take that help develop your own skills and abilities as a leader? How can you become a catalyst for positive outcomes and growth within your own organization? Send me your ideas and thoughts. If you would like to be part of our Leadership Forum, let me know. The Forum is going to be a part of a blog on the Mobley Leadership website with the goal of sharing leadership experiences based upon skills and behaviors.
Here are some thoughts for your consideration as you reflect upon your own experience. The first time you meet an individual, I believe you can see the characteristics of a genuine leader. Leadership is not necessarily a strength that can be taught through education. Some people are simply not teachable. Perhaps this is the quandary of current executive leadership teams. Being a leader, or that individual at the top, becomes a career objective, but might not be or play to that individual’s strength. That’s why it is important for you as a leader of a team to know each of the “gifts” or strengths of those around you. It is important to be able to see issues and ideas from others’ perspective. A leader needs to be able to listen, have an honest, moral compass, and communicate effectively by treating everybody as a client at all times.
I look forward to hearing from you and having you share your thoughts and wisdom on this very important topic.
