I like songwriter, singer, poet Leonard Cohen’s music as much as I like Coen brother’s movies and that is a lot. A favorite from the late Leonard Cohen song book is “Everybody Knows“.
There are things every leader knows:
- Discretionary effort on the part of team members is the gold standard and you cannot command it. You must earn it.
- Leadership authority does the most good when used to ensure clarity, eliminate barriers, ensure necessary resources, and serve/support team members.
- Compliance can be commanded. Commitment can’t.
- Talented leaders are not hired to maintain status-quo.
- Leading organizational change follows a progressive process. Ignore the process and implementation takes longer and costs more.
- Defining, creating, maintaining organizational health is not all that touchy-feely stuff that HR does. It is a primary executive leadership accountability.
- Constructive criticism isn’t. Accurate, pertinent feedback delivered with the positive intent of helping someone learn and grow is.
- The leader who says. “You have to earn my trust” is most likely not trustworthy.
- The world is changing fast and a lot. There are things we used to believe that are no longer true. Leaders challenge the shelf-lives of expired realities.
- The ability to access, assimilate and act on the right information is critical and it should be easier given the massive amount and availability of data. Defining and finding what matters is the challenge.
- Persistent learning and growth make for satisfaction and success.
- Septic tanks should be pumped on a regular schedule, and in any case, prior to hosting the big holiday party with a bunch of overnight guests.
- Pedigree, degrees, work history open the door. Once inside, no one wants to hear about it incessantly. What matters now is how that learning and experience is applied to improve the business, team and relationships.
- Jobs are snapshots in time and should not last beyond when there is mutual benefit. Own your job while in it, own your career always.
- Over 50% of executives in new positions with new companies fail within 18 months.*
- You must eventually look in the mirror and really see what’s there. Others will help you see what you might be missing if they trust you.
- There is always a gap between what we know intellectually and how we behave. Greater success exists in the gap.
*HBR, May 15, 2017, The Biggest Mistakes New Executives Make, Sabrina Nawaz
