By Linda Fisher Thornton
Leading ethically requires staying competent as a professional and as a leader. The speed of change in today’s global economy may cause leaders to fall behind even while they are diligently working to stay on top of trends and industry knowledge.
These 5 phrases signal that a leader is refusing to adapt to changing times, putting the company and its employees at risk.
1. “But that’s the way we’ve always done it. It’s our proven formula.”
2. “I’m too busy to stay for the leadership training session (that all company-wide leaders need to attend).”
3. “The senior management team has decided……”
4. “This is a family business. What the family says goes.”
5. “We’re not sharing our research data with the training department. Let them do their own research!”
What are the risks behind these statements?
Number 1 ignores the changing consumer expectations, the changing economy, and the changing competition. Doing the same thing that worked last year could lead a business to bankruptcy this year.
Number 2 clearly does not model the leadership that is expected from other leaders. It sends the message to company leaders that the training is not important. It also ignores the importance of keeping up with leadership best practices. Some leadership practices that were considered acceptable 15 years ago will land a leader in court in 2010.
Number 3 ignores employees involvement in making major decisions. Employees are closer to the day-to-day processes that make the business work smoothly, have ideas for how to improve things, and may see a better option for the future of the company than the senior management team can create alone. Employees seek meaningful employment. They expect that their knowledge and creativity will be utilized to help the business be as succesful as it can possibly be.
Number 4 assumes a patriarchical model of leadership, which is outdated. It ignores employee engagement, morale and trust. It limits the impact employees can make on the company by assuming that they cannot possibly be as talented as the family members. It ignores the trap of groupthink that can impact close groups of leaders that tend to think alike. It ignores the new ideas and creative problem-solving that fresh eyes can provide.
Number 5 indicates that a department is withholding information that could help another department in the same company. Compartmentalized leadership like this is clearly no longer appropriate. It creates competition inside the business that makes it harder for the business to succeed. Leaders who compete against other leaders in the same company divert time and resources away from the success of the company.
Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership
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Leading in Context 
I have really enjoyed reading this article. I’ve come back to it multiple times, and I’ve shared it with different people. My “favorite phrase,” if I should call it that, “The senior management team has decided…” This was me a few years ago while working as an operations manager. I felt as though I was resisting change, and trying to pass the buck of responsibility off to someone else to avoid being seen as the bad guy. This never sat well with me, and it still doesn’t to this day.
Thanks for reminding us of these phrases so that we can check them within ourselves, and lead others more ethically.
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