2012 Leadership Wins and Losses
The Week in Ethics
2012 Leadership Wins and Losses
One of the most powerful lessons from 2012 is how leaders use their influence. Consider some examples of career sky dives from three men highly regarded in their field who failed to use their influence in ways to keep trust with their constituencies: former CIA Director David Petraeus (an affair with his biographer); former Penn […]
read more »NRA Leadership, Culture of Violence, and the Self-Seal
We will know in a few months whether National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre’s response to the murders of first graders, teachers and the principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut speaks for the majority of its 4 million members. LaPierre blames the murders on gun restrictions and America’s culture of violence — […]
read more »Changing a Culture of Violence
Twenty first-graders, six and seven years of age, were murdered December 14, 2012 along with their school principal, school psychologist and four teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The 20-year old gunman also killed his mother. From gang violence in Chicago, to the gunman in Aurora (CO) mowing down people in a […]
read more »Petraeus’ Derailment Invites Focus on the Heart of Leadership
Too many assumptions are made about leaders once they reach the highest levels of their organization: that they are at the top of their game, operating out professional clarity, and have themselves figured out. Ivy league educated, storied-career David Petraeus is a poignant illustration. As director of the CIA, and one of the most acclaimed […]
read more »How "Family" Backfired at Penn State
When leaders refer to their organizations as a “family,” it can be dangerous when they don’t also have a full understanding of the implications and expectations of that metaphor. While presumably their reference is to a functional family, the question is… what kind of unremitting vigilance is required to spot and address the dysfunctional elements […]
read more »Why UCI is Wrong and Armstrong Can’t be "Forgotten"
What International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid said at a news conference October 22,2012 revealed more about UCI’s culture than it said about Armstrong: ”Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling. This is a landmark day for cycling.” Granted UCI (cycling governing body) has an embarrassment […]
read more »Disney, RAN and the Rainforest
When companies are criticized by activist groups for social responsibility failings it can be hard to determine what the degree of the problem is from media coverage and press releases. The ultimate resolution may represent sweeping change in corporate policies that would not have happened at all or as quickly but for the activist group’s […]
read more »Arbitrage, When There is Never Enough
How much is enough? That was a central question John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, posed several years ago about Wall Street. It is also an underlying question in Arbitrage, Nicholas Jarecki’s recently released film. Richard Gere plays Richard Miller, a billionaire hedge fund manager whose greater cause is seeing himself as the orbit […]
read more »Seriously? No Qualified Women for European Central Bank Board
When it comes to issues like gender diversity on corporate boards and in C-Suites, we’ve seen glacial progress. It has led some countries to impose or threaten quotas. While laws force progress, so also can the voice of a leader using his or her position and personal authority to hold others accountable. Sharon Bowles, chairwoman […]
read more »Accountability and the NCAA
Who holds a governing body accountable for clear, consistent, equitable administration of its rules, and when merited, punishment that doesn’t exceed its mission or oversight authority? If you are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and can shut down athletic programs, take away scholarships, impose fines, and require consent monitors among other things, accountability is […]
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I had the great fortune of working with Gael O’Brien as I prepared to give a Ted Talk…. Her positive reinforcement, combined with gentle redirection, allowed me to bring forth a story that even I didn’t know I could tell. The lessons she taught me ….will be carried into my career for many years to come. Importantly, Gael was committed to taking the journey with me to ensure that I put forth my very best self.