Recently, complaints about powerful men (and women) committing sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace have gone from a trickle to a torrent. After years of victims remaining silent about their mistreatment, they are finally speaking out in great numbers and I say bravo. It’s about time! But one has to ask why these victims… Read More >>
The Transparent Leader – a book worth reading
In this day of fake news, alternative facts and down right lying, it’s refreshing to read the Transparent Leader that celebrates honesty, integrity, and openness. I just finished reading The Transparent Leader: How to Build a Great Company Through Straight Talk, Openness, and Accountability by Herb Baum, the former CEO of the Dial Corporation.” Since… Read More >>
Radical Honesty = Meritocracy & Success
I just read a fascinating treatise on corporate culture and radical honesty called Principles, written by Ray Dalio. If the name is not familiar to you, he founded and is the co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates. With $152 billion in assets and 1500 employees, it is the world’s largest hedge fund. Dalio started investing when he… Read More >>
Open Door Policy = A Lame Excuse for Cultivating Honesty
In an insightful article in the January-February 2016 issue of the Harvard Business Review titled, “Can Your Employees Really Speak Freely?”(1) authors James R. Detert and Ethan R. Burrus discuss the importance of leaders maintaining a culture of honesty so they can get the feedback they need to know what’s going on in their organizations. They… Read More >>
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Nurturing a Productive Corporate Culture
Corporate culture depends on social capital. That’s what was discovered in a study conducted at MIT by Anita Woolley , Thomas W. Malone and Christopher Chabris, the researchers divided 697 volunteer participants into teams of two to five members and gave them various complex tasks to perform and problems to solve. The groups were observed while they… Read More >>
Not My Fault: Nurturing Employee Responsibility
Shun Fugimoto was a perfect example of employee responsibility. “Monteal 1976 – After severely breaking his kneecap during the floor exercise, Japan’s Shun Fugimoto ignored his injury as long as possible, knowing such news could shatter the confidence of his teammates. The injured gymnast continued to the pommel horse routine, miraculously scoring a 9.5 out… Read More >>
Are Your Canaries Safe?
Most of us are familiar with the role of canaries in coal mines of the past. The miners kept them in cages to warn of lethal gas buildups before the gas poisoned the miners or exploded. If the gas level got too high, the canary would die, telling the miners it was time to exit… Read More >>