by Charles Plant | Jul 17, 2012 | Leaders, Leadership Development
Time has passed since the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico but it can teach us a lot about how to take responsibility in a crisis. BP’s CEO, Tony Hayward, ended up losing his job as a result of the disaster primarily because he failed to take responsibility for BP’s role in the disaster.
When held to account by Congress, Hayward repeatedly told members of Congress that it would be “premature” to prejudge the outcome of investigations into the explosion. He refused to be drawn into discussions as to the causes of the disaster and this continued stonewalling led to growing frustration on the part of Congress. He also reiterated his claim that he wasn’t personally involved in decisions relating to construction of the well.
In refusing to accept blame, Hayward failed to take responsibility.I’m sure he took responsibility for their prior results but failed in this one crucial aspect of leadership.
There may be some hope for RIM yet because its leader, Thorsten Heins, is taking responsibility for past errors. By taking responsibility for the past, he can then move the agenda towards the future and focus on Blackberry 10. He may have then the makings of a good leader and RIM may indeed pull itself out of its troubles as a result of effective leadership.
by Charles Plant | Jul 16, 2012 | Exercises, Leadership Development
I am told that when I was young, I woke up one morning having wet my bed the night before and ran to my parents and claimed that “Somebody wet my bed.” My son carried on this tradition in a new way. After having done something bad to his older sister, we asked him to apologize. After much frooing and froing his response was “Sorry, Gaga.” The Gaga was his attempt to deflect true responsibility. You might think from these vignettes that I come from a family of shirkers but I think we’ve all been in that boat at some point in time.
Responsibility is a funny thing. We crave it when things are going well, try to deny it when things don’t quite go the way we want, and wait for it to be given to us at work. Responsibility is one of those key leadership skills that separate successful leaders from unsuccessful ones. Taking responsibility early in your career creates advancement opportunities. Trying to deny it when things go bad gets you fired.
Responsibility is Taken. It is never Given
What many people at work don’t understand about responsibility is that it is taken, not given. No one gives you responsibility for getting something done. They might present you with an opportunity to take it but it is up to you to take that responsibility on. They might say that you have been given responsibility but in actual fact, it is up to you whether you take it or not.
Try this at work:
At work, it’s often the little things that go unnoticed and yet it’s the little things that can give customers a bad impression. Your task this week is to find some small way that you can make a difference and take responsibility for that action. It might be straightening up the office, making sure that there are peppermints in a bowl for visitors, or bringing in flowers from time to time. Whatever it is, find one new way to take responsibility for improving your work environment.
As weeks progress, make this a campaign with other people. Get them energized to improve your work environment.
I can’t promise you’ll end up being President for starting this but I’ll guarantee that your effort to take responsibility will be noticed and eventually rewarded.
by Charles Plant | Jul 13, 2012 | Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Development
You’re probably afraid of something. We all are. The key to success in the working world is to ensure that those fears are not debilitating. I’ve done a quick poll to find out what people are afraid of and in a very unscientific manner come up with the top five.
- Public Speaking
- Screwing up
- Speaking up
- Change
- Being yelled at by the boss
It all comes down to fear of being humiliated.
Work is a social place and we all grew up in the schoolyard where humiliation led to being ostracized.
Well it’s time to get over it. The fact is, no one is really watching what you’re doing anyway. Unless you’re already the butt of office jokes, a few slips here and there will go unnoticed.
If you’re the butt of office jokes it’s probably because you’ve failed at making connections with people and they already resent you. Chances are in this case, you are oblivious to the humiliation anyway just as you’re oblivious to others around you.
If you’ve made real connections with people, they will actually feel empathy for you when you screw up.
Now, you might ask, why a picture of Donald Trump. Well its sort of like imagining your boss naked. Nothing is quite so scary as that thought. In this case just think, if The Donald isn’t worried about being humiliated by having the most ridiculous hair in the western world every single day, why are you worried about a little transitory screw up from time to time.
by Charles Plant | Jul 12, 2012 | Management, Video
If your day seems like one long endless meeting, you’re doing something wrong. Kerri Golden has an interesting approach, she declines meetings. The key to her approach is to figure out where she is adding value now.
http://vimeo.com/45642450
If you’re getting this video in an email, click on the link to the blog to watch the video.
by Charles Plant | Jul 11, 2012 | Leaders, Leadership Development
Leadership is a lot about making good decisions, developing a good strategy, having a vision. So when someone blows it completely, it’s worth noting. Today’s award for business infamy goes to William Orton, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1876. At that time, the company had a monopoly on the telegraph, which at that time was the world’s most advanced communications device.
So wrapped up in the telegraph was Orton that when Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Alexander Graham Bell’s father-in-law, approached Orton with an offer to sell him a patent for the newly invented telephone for $100,000, Orton thought he was kidding.
Orton replied to Bell: “Mr Bell, after careful consideration of your invention, while it is an interesting novelty, we have come to the conclusion that it has no commercial possibilities…What use could this company make of an electrical toy?”
