Corporate Sustainability: CEO Viewpoint
"What's happened across the industrialized world is the governments are feeling poor these days," says David Victor at the University of California, San Diego. "So they are a lot less willing to put money into loan guarantees, production tax credits and feed-in tariffs and other policies that have historically been the big drivers of very low-emission technologies like nuclear and wind." 1 That mindset translates to business organizations as well. It seems the eyes of CEOs sometimes glaze over at that thought of changing their business to be more green. The problem with the thought boils down to prioritizing its strategic importance in the grand scheme of things, especially with daily pressing issues needing immediate attention and a slowly recovering economy that keeps CEOs feeling skittish. Perhaps there is a lack of understanding about what corporate sustainability means to the top and bottom lines of the business. In fact, CEOs understanding and embracing corporate sustainability may well be one of the most decisive factors in determining the long-term viability of their companies.
Leadership: A Mixed Bag of Virtues & Vices
“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.” - Abraham Lincoln
Where we would be without great leaders? They somehow seem to emerge within organizations or in the political field - perhaps out of timing and circumstance - where their unique virtues and qualifications match up well to confront current challenges and positively influence those around them in times of need. However romanticized the notion of leadership may be, it is largely recognized and accepted by practitioners and researchers that leadership is important, and research supports the concept that leaders do contribute to key organizational outcomes.1,2 Humans (and organizations) need leaders to follow and to guide them. One might say, leaders are like diamonds in the rough - but like diamonds - leaders are full of complexities and have flaws under their shiny exteriors.
Executive Imperatives For 2012
Most of us like to operate from a list. Lists help us organize our thoughts and actions, serving to remind us about something that we would likely otherwise forget. Given that, it seemed like a good idea to offer-up a short list of business-related New Year’s Resolutions this week - all pertaining to the “organizational maintenance” items that we know need our attention but likely have neglected in terms of action taken.
Are You An Authentic Leader?
I recently found myself in a situation that made me uncomfortable. The source of the discomfort, upon later reflection, came from feeling like I was not completely authentic to who I am and what I want to stand for. It was not an ethical indiscretion that occurred, but rather a poor judgment call on how to handle some difficult personalities in a business meeting that I decided to go along with. Instead of objecting upfront and remaining true to who I am, I bowed to pressure in order to meet someone's expectations. Regardless of the severity of the compromise that occurred or the reason I allowed it to happen in the first place, that situation got me thinking about authenticity. To be more specific, it got me thinking about the trait of authenticity in organizational leaders. In a corporate world full of executives spewing buzzwords, jargon and superficial messaging that is intended to inspire and motivate, the truly authentic leaders shine through every time amid the sea of imitators. Authenticity, as an attribute in a leader, distinguishes that person as demonstrating veracity in all aspects of their lives, with an uncompromising fidelity to their core values.
Anchor To Your Core Values
Organizational core values do more than just promote ethical business practices. The system of core values that your organization owns will shape the culture of the enterprise, the decision-making criteria of your managers and the actions of your employees. The more strongly defined the organization’s core values, the more likely that this value system will serve as a code of conduct that promotes and guides strategically-aligned behaviors within managers and employees.
Are We There Yet?
I have triplet three year-old girls. While I avoid long car trips like the plague, they do come up occasionally. When traveling with the girls, the “are we there yet?” question begins in triplicate about the time we reach the end of our street. Thinking about my own horrific road trips with the girls, I began analyzing the way I normally address their questions (at least the first 100 times or so that they ask it). I usually begin patiently explaining a bit about our route, what they will see and how long it should take to get to our destination. I also throw in some caveats about traffic, how many stops we have to make and other variables...just to couch my predictions with some contingency for the unexpected. Drawing a parallel from that exchange to the world of business strategy, it might surprise you how much they have in common.
Why Should I Trust You As My Leader?
It happens all the time. We “require” the employees of our organization to blindly trust in the changes we implement, although we haven’t fully explained the transformation and the reasons behind it. Quite often the change and the reasons behind it might seem quite obvious to those who have the inside information and are part of the management inner circle. To employees outside of the circle, however, the change causes impact, discomfort and anxiety. As executives of our organization, should we expect compliance and blind trust, or is the responsibility on our shoulders to communicate and lead?
