The world mourns the passing of the beloved Queen Elizabeth. Not just because of her title, her wealth, or even her fame. We mourn because of the great loss we feel from a remarkable woman who lived in service and duty to her nation and the Commonwealth.
Consider an organisation that has had some sort of major public relations disaster such as bullying or sexual harassment allegations, CEO or executive misbehaviours, regulatory breaches or even, fraud. For years, toxic behaviours have been tolerated, even rewarded. Exclusion, unethical decisions, disrespect and selfish actions have flourished. People behaving in these ways were almost never fired. Even worse, they were often promoted.
One of the common traps leaders make is falling into the belief that they need to prove they can do the work required, so they focus on the work to be done. This means they bury themselves in delivery, under-manage their team, promote their personal achievements and defer to managing up rather than managing their team.
One of the lowest points in my life was when my market research career ended abruptly because of sociopaths who destroyed my reputation. I've never shared this publicly because I have been too ashamed to talk about it.
One of the issues I always consider when CEOs come to me about improving trust in their leadership team is whether they have a sociopath in their midst. Over the years I've seen countless leadership teams have difficulties because either one or more team members is a sociopath. This even can include the CEO themselves.
I have moved house four times in just over three years. You think that my family and I would be really good at moving, but there is always something that trips us up every time.
Sitting in front of me is Emma, a quietly spoken woman with dark hair that softly frames her face. She is nervous and avoiding eye contact with me.
We are here to discuss what she believes the leadership team need to do to create a high-trust culture. Despite her visible nervousness, her answers are succinct and articulate. It is clear that she is loyal to the company, loves her job and colleagues.
Meaningful work is something we all crave. When we understand the meaning in the work we do, it increases our engagement and intrinsic motivation.
The Energy Project, a training and consultancy company, surveyed more than 12,000 employees across a range of companies and industries. They found a direct correlation between finding meaning in work and high performance.
Imagine a management team that has had a tough few years - dwindling revenue, archaic systems and processes that need an expensive overhaul and unhappy customers. A new CEO is brought in to steady the ship. One of his first jobs is to refresh the leadership team, stabilise losses and improve productivity.