Virtues based leadership

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A concept whose time has come: virtues-based leadership

description

Continuing the evolution in business from vision, values, value propositions and relationship marketing, towards the virtuous organisation. Outline of a process and methodologies for making it happen

Transcript of Virtues based leadership

Page 1: Virtues based leadership

A concept whose time has come: virtues-based leadership

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In a 5 year period to 2007, BP were charged with no less than 760 safety violations, and were found to be grossly negligent in a number of instances. BP continued its arrogant tradition of “say a lot, do little”.

Old parishioner to hypocritical preacher: ‘Your actions are so loud that I can’t hear what you are saying’. Part of the contradiction of being a human being is that we express one sentiment yet do the opposite.

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When the Gulf of Mexico disaster inevitably occurred, “numerous investigations would place the blame for the explosion on BP’s cutting of costs, inattention to safety, and overly aggressive attitude toward extracting oil from difficult-to-reach reserves”. The direct opposite of their positioning as a company that cared for the environment and people

Sachs, Jonah Winning the Story Wars Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Mass. 2012

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Consider the gap between the United Nations espoused value of integrity, and their refusal to consider compensation to the thousands who have died in the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti - where compelling evidence showed that the most probable source of the outbreak was at one of their peace-keeping missions. Instead, they invoked their legal immunity.

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Ex Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll is reported to have said in her outgoing address, after mentioning the Brazilian Minas Rio iron-ore project fiasco: "There will have to be much more – and less ambiguous –communication with shareholders".* Yet an article on their web site states “Our (six core) values help our business operate efficiently, effectively and transparently".**

Ironically, a South African trade union commended her at this time for publicly admitting that the mine’s environmental history leaves much to be desired!

* Die Burger Sake 24 17th February 2013:"Carroll erken sy dink diep naoor foute by Minas Rio"

** http//www.angloamerican/careers/working/leading-mining-company/living-our-valuesAnglo: “Our (six core) values help our business operate efficiently, effectively and transparently".**

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These value-gaps open up all too often, for many reasons………

• A CEO might publicly express that she values debate yet in meetings she stifles debate.

• Leaders succumb to pressure to show good results at any cost. Are arrogant. Get away with malpractice without internal sanction. Politicians renege on election promises.

• Staff are pressured by circumstances or the promise of quick reward, to cheat, steal, take short cuts

• New societal values emerge but are not recognised by the organisation

• Different people (of different generations or cultures) within the organisation interpret the same values differently, and there is no sound way of merging these different viewpoints

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Our values are what we do, how we behave - and not what we say we do.

Between the idea And the realityBetween the motionAnd the actFalls the Shadow

T.S.Eliot

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When they occur, the shock of these disconnects can have huge ramifications to the credibility of the organisation, the authenticity of leaders, the trust, respect and loyalty of staff and customers. It's far worse than discovering that an original painting or antique that you have is actually a fake.

Conversely, when fully and consistently lived, values become the glue that holds the organisation together through thick and thin.

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Picture a dark underground cave with its entrance facing a blazing fire. Inside, the people cannot move – they are chained so that they face the rear cave wall. The fire throws light and shadows onto that wall. The prisoners think this is their only reality. The fire outside, and the world beyond, represents a greater, more complex reality that they are not aware of.

All too often, organisations don’t see it coming. And fixing is much harder than preventing.

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The cave metaphor from Plato’s Republic serves as a reminder that even the best organisations have blind spots. Their members can become "trapped by constructions of reality that, at best, give but an imperfect grasp of the world…. They become trapped by favoured ways of thinking”.

A knee-jerk is often ‘but we’ve done the vision and values thing’

Morgan, Gareth Images of Organization Sage Publications 1986

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• Are we really a values-driven organisation?

• Have we chosen the right values?• Have we kept pace with new, emerging societal values?

• Are our values the glue that holds the organisation together, define our culture?• Does the outside world see an attractive, engaging, authentic, consistent display of our

values - a magnet that draws them closer to us?

• Do our stated values distinguish us as being different to, and better than our competitors? Have they translated into virtues?

• Have we protected ourselves from the risk of disconnect between our stated values and actual events and behaviours that might occur – that could damage our reputation, credibility?

• Do we have mechanisms in place that ensure that our values are lived voluntarily and spontaneously without us having to resort to compliance measures?

Every leader should always be asking:

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The way to ensure that all of these questions are answered positively is …

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… to embrace virtues-based leadership, paradoxically the sacred-secular in action

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We’ve delved into the latest research findings and practices in business, into the nature of intrinsic motivation, and into game theory. We’ve tested and refined this work in live situations. Here is a way in which you can take the high ground. Change your organisation’s DNA

We’ve learnt from the great religions. Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims all have traditions of perfecting values, and making of them character virtues

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And offer a step by step process to becoming a virtues-led organisation

(A continuing evolution from the early 1990s emphasis on vision, mid-1990s focus on values, late 1990s move to value-propositions and relationship marketing, and of late - examination of ‘virtuous organisations’).

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Identifying and enunciating the agreed organisational values to be shared. 1

The process involves

(Anyone can arrive at a set of values - even criminal gangs have them! The trick is to arrive at the RIGHT values in the right way. Values that all staff relate to, and find meaningful. Our process ensures that this is done. Top down and bottom up. We distinguish between core and threshold values)

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2Attaching behaviour indicators to each of the values.

These measurable behaviours obviate any potential for differences in understanding, interpretation and expectation. Everyone knows what is expected. There is no uncertainty.

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3Making the values visible and transparent, simple to grasp and concretise

We use the mechanisms of image, anecdote, and story to shape and spread conduct

("Among Buddhists, fables, fairy tales, anecdotes, adventure stories, and pious legends were very important as instructive narratives...made their way, stage by stage, across Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome to modern Italy, Germany, England and France..." )

Gruber, Elmar R & Kersten, Hoger The Original Jesus Element 1995

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4Reinforcing the values, attitudes and behaviours and converting them to virtues

Our approach here includes appropriate communication mechanisms, reward and recognition rather than enforced compliance, role-modelling, coaching, mentoring, and counselling and training.

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We’ve also found in our work that the introduction of a game is sometimes helpful. (Games stimulate engagement and the optimal human experience. They can fit intrinsic motivational elements - being immersed in satisfying work, having the experience (or hope) of being successful, forging strong social connections, finding meaning and being part of something larger than ourselves).

McGonigal, Jane Reality is Broken Jonathan Cape, London 2011

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Why wait to increase your attractiveness to employees and customers, your levels of staff engagement in and at work, and the quality of interactions with your shareholders, customers and suppliers? There are attractive benefits in terms of organisational health, harmony and the triple bottom line.

Contact us today about a talk, workshop, intervention.

Peter Fox. Spiritual Direction and Mentoring, Counsellor, Facilitator, Author, Life Coach, Palliative Care Educator [email protected]

Graham Williams. Management Consultant, Thought Leader, Speaker, Trainer, Neuro-linguistic Programming Practitioner [email protected]

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Living with purpose, meaning and flow

Once in an old medieval city there were three bricklayers hard at work on the same building. A man walking past asked each of them what they were doing. The first man answered gruffly, “I’m laying bricks.” The second man replied, “I’m building a wall.” The third man looking up answered enthusiastically “I’m building a Cathedral”.