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 >>
Leadership = Monkey See, Monkey Do
Leadership at mighty Volkswagen was embarrassed this past week when the company was caught cheating. The ensuing scandal has forced CEO Martin Winterkorn to resign. To enable its Diesel automobiles to pass rigid U.S. emission control standards without losing any noticeable power, the company has, for years, installed special software to get around the inspection system. To do… Read More >>
Amazon Corporate Culture: Sweatshop or Paradise?
The recent article in the New York Times[1] criticizing Amazon’s corporate culture as a “brutal” and cutthroat culture has the business pundits all atwitter. It seems this company that has enjoyed astronomical success in on-line retailing may not be everyone’s idea of a great place to work. Employees are reportedly expected to work up to 16… Read More >>
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 >>
LESSONS FROM BRIAN WILLIAMS ON BUILDING A TEAM CULTURE OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
Last week, we learned that the NBC anchor person Brian Williams lied in 2003 about his involvement in a Gulf War helicopter raid, saying that he’d been riding in a Chinook Helicopter that was hit by an RPG fired by Iraqi ground troops. It turns out that he was in a helicopter that night, but… Read More >>