How Owning Purpose Tames the Unexpected
The Week in Ethics
How Owning Purpose Tames the Unexpected
Benjamin Franklin was brilliant, but in 1789 he forgot to include an essential element in his famous remark, “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” He should have said “nothing can be certain except death, taxes AND dealing with the unexpected.” We use religion and spirituality to deal […]
read more »What We Can Learn About Optimism & Leadership from Simon Sinek
“A good leader doesn’t only inspire us to have confidence in what they can do. A great leader inspires us to have confidence in what we can do.” Together is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration (Simon Sinek, 2016) The adage “what we focus on, we get more of” is as true in leadership as anything. And, conversely, […]
read more »Wells Fargo’s Next Move? 10 Suggestions
Update: See my 12/10/16 Business Ethics column on Where Wells Fargo Goes From Here . Update: In October 2016 Timothy Sloan replaced Chairman/CEO John Stumpf, becoming CEO and President. The chairman role was split and given to independent lead director Stephen Sanger. Update: September 27, 2016: Wells Fargo Independent directors issued a statement they will […]
read more »Women Leaders Galvanize Detroit Around Justice
When things fall apart for lack of human and financial resources, becoming overwhelming, the key that enables leaders to transform the impossible to solvable is a compelling sense of greater purpose that is shared. An illustration is the story of how Kym Worthy, Prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan raised, and is a catalyst in efforts […]
read more »The Way Forward from Public Shaming
Students in a middle school painted words important to them on rocks placed under a tree. “Patience,” “courage,” “strength,” and “peace” were scattered under the limbs. However the lineup of a yellow heart, “tolerance” and “healing” held my eye during a walk in 2013; they were an antidote to the lack of humanity words as […]
read more »Project 22
Memorial Day in the United States is more than remembrance; it is also a catalyst for a discussion that needs to occur throughout the year. As a day, it is about respect and remembrance honoring those who’ve died in wars or military actions as well as remembering those dead who were also veterans. However, it […]
read more »How Market Basket’s Board Misread Employee Engagement
In a battle of cousin against cousin, how important is the culture of a family owned business? Thousands of voices among the 25,000 employees and the customers who shop at the 71 New England locations of Market Basket (a supermarket chain with $4 billion in annual sales) have made clear in their rallies and online […]
read more »Marathon Runners and Lessons of Resilience
The 2014 Boston Marathon grew into a symbol. It wasn’t just a race; it was about facing down hate and destruction with community and courage. It showed how runners, spectators, individuals and families affected by the 2013 bombing at the Marathon finish line handled tragedy and came to embody and teach resilience. It is also […]
read more »Marathon Runners and Lessons of Resilience
The 2014 Boston Marathon grew into a symbol. It wasn’t just a race; it was about facing down hate and destruction with community and courage. It showed how runners, spectators, individuals and families affected by the 2013 bombing at the Marathon finish line handled tragedy and came to embody and teach resilience. It is also […]
read more »GM’s New CEO
Update: March 27, 2014, GM CEO Mary Barra will testify before Congress next week, answering questions about consumer safety and the process (a decade before she became CEO) of how GM handled faulty ignitions without recalling cars impacted (which resulted in at least 12 deaths). NYT piece speculating about what in GM culture might have […]
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… Leading in this still-fragile environment has never been more challenging… Uniting an organization’s culture to a brand promise is essential to success. The greatest asset any organization has is its reputation. Gael O’Brien brings a wealth of experience counseling leaders in building and restoring trust in their organizations.