Is your company healthy?

Just recently there was some interesting new research that was sponsored by Google uncovering the leadership trait that matters the most.  Their research showed that the most effective leaders exhibit personal consistency (predictability) and exhibit a balanced healthy personality.  Their algorithms showed the more consistent a leader the more confident the team becomes, releasing a culture of autonomy and creativity.  The end product of healthy leadership is a healthy organization. 

 

The best organizations are built on healthy consistent leadership practices. And they invest in getting even healthier.  

 

So what gets in the way of creating a healthy organization?

 

There are three foul behaviors that really trip up organizations, hinder trust and limit sales growth.  The following leadership behaviors are often times at the root of many dysfunctional company cultures. 

 

The Big “3”

 

• These leaders have the need to show others that they are the smartest person in the room (monopolizing discussions), or always directing the conversation back to their own personal agenda because of their own insecurity.   They fail to harvest the knowledge within their core group.

 

• Leadership refuses to share information (or power) in order to maintain an advantage over others. Leaders can talk about trust, but if they don’t share power, or the spotlight it will eventually bury them.  Leadership is about trust, plain & simple.

 

• Leadership constantly make excuses for their poor behavior, blaming others, not accepting candid feedback, not being coachable or even demanding trust while not exhibiting trustworthiness.  These leaders don't truly recognize how their behavior negatively affects others.  And candidly they don’t care.

Leaders can learn so much from great artists, who pull us into the pages of their writings or mesmerize us with their music. They pull us in with humanness, not data, or sales technique. Organizations often forget, trust must be earned before data can be interpreted. Artists understand prior to pulling someone into a great story, you must create a trustworthy experience. 

 

In a hypercompetitive world, authenticity, listening and the power of story often time are missing. Well designed, authentic storytelling, with a focus on the audience is both powerful and missing in most businesses. And a great story, not clever closing techniques, compels others to action. “Your personal story is the product.”

 

Whether you lead a team, are in a non-for-profit or are an independent contributor, the healthiest most impactful companies are not afraid of the truth about themselves; in fact they pursue the truth. They relentlessly ask three questions:

 

1. How am I affecting you and what’s getting in the way of me being better?

2. What can I do different to help you achieve your personal vision, dreams and aspirations?

3. What blind spots are negatively affecting me & can you help me understand it better?

 

In my early days as a training leader, I was always attracted to sales executives who had found their own authentic sales voice. They hated sales technique, because they understood that sales techniques were not the answer. Sales techniques don’t attract others to you, they actually repel. They were at their very best when they tapped into their own style and personal story.

 

Do you dare be that honest with your customers and yourself?

 

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