Leadership Cannot be Trained! But......

Managers, CEO's, and other similar titles, are manufactured human concepts that are based around a set of specifications (job descriptions) mainly designed at the start of the industrial revolution to slot people into roles, to deliver results for business owners or to create support infrastructures around these businesses.

Indeed a very successful number of decades have transpired that seem to have vindicated this structure. However, this is also the structure that created the destruction and greed, that resulted in the GFC (Global Financial Crises).

Like those explorers before us, that gave us access to lands far away and that have reached out into the cosmos, Leaders seem to come out of nowhere and stretch our imagination further than we thought was possible. Leaders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson and Larry Ellison were orphans, nerds or school drop-outs. before they redefined the same world we live in.

There is no curriculum that these people followed to realize their visions to achieve such outstanding results. They merely believed in, and focused on their innate intuition, the Leader inside each and every one of us; our purpose.

Now there have been many studies, writings and biographies, designed to explain the phenomena, that these and other similar luminaries are. However, none of this literature will make another person a Leader. One might break down the successes into studies and come-up with formulas for success and possibly emulate some of their successes, but rise to their measure or even create new disruptive directions, highly unlikely.

However, there is a way, (the way these luminaries achieved their amazing feats) simply by tapping into your innate Leader, by following that which your heart tells you. Doing this because of your belief, passion and conviction and not because you need a job, a stylish car, a house the envy of the neighbourhood, or other "normal" objectives. Because you, like each and every one of us, have been blessed with an innate design that created us and made us unique. Humanity needs your unique intellect, creativity and contributions and you know what they are, if you stop the noise of "normality" and tap into the silence of your gifts. Share them with the rest of us, as this is your god given right and duty. Be proud of your purpose and do not be derailed by the voices of fear from those that, "wish the best for you", and plagued and shackled by "normality", divert you from your natural course. They too will be inspired by your eventual achievements. Be a Leader and show us the way in your chosen field, craft, business or adventure.

Go, be a Leader whether you are a store person, a reception, sales manager, CEO, entrepreneur or even a parent, and create the new in whatever you do.

Compromise a Lose/Lose Strategy

A compromise is when 2 or more individuals almost agree, are almost happy and almost accept a less than ideal outcome for a situation. So at best, these individuals have accepted not to be totally happy, at peace, content, etc...

We have been trained to believe this is OK, and it has to be, for a society that is co-dependent. Co-dependency is not the same as respect and support. In fact it is the opposite. A compromise is about me not being true to my beliefs, visions, opinions and values, for the misguided purpose of making you happy; and this is also true for the other, who I reached a comprise with. It is synonymous to saying that my views are not totally valid unless you agree with them and vice-versa. Absolutely unacceptable!

This is both untrue and unhealthy and points to inappropriate engagement models.

My truth remains true to me independent of what you might think and at the very least, you should respect that I have every right to hold my views as it is for you. The true strength of a healthy relationship is where I honour your truths, views and ideals and you, mine. This is true relating independent of whether it is a parent/child relationship, husband/wife and any other healthy relationship.

We are all after truth and in care-taking, we abandon truth and choose what amounts to deceit.

An old adage goes, "I rather be hurt by the truth than a lie", and yet the latter seems more acceptable which is what compromise is all about. Our truths than become trapped behind the "but I do not want to upset him/her" behavior, that then turns to resentment and eventually probably rage and who knows what else.

So let's never choose a compromise, rather respect for each others opinions which is fertile ground for truth, intimacy and growth.

There Is No "I" In Nature

We live in an ecosystem that's made-up of subset and superset ecosystems. They are inter-reliant and by their nature are very fragile. This fragility ensures the ongoing evolution of the same ecosystem that relies on this mechanism as its method of survival and development.

Humankind is an ecosystem within this ecosystem. Unbalance in an ecosystem creates shifts that alter our ecosystem for the better; survival. Sometimes this happens at the cost of some specious as we have seen with the dinosaurs. If humankind really desires longevity in this ecosystem, we need to respect this balance or suffer the worst possible outcome for our kind.

All ecosystems are constantly in a state of change and rebalancing as they become more and more resilient. Humans are one phase of this ongoing ecosystem change. So by design, we are transient and as we transition to our next stage (should there be one), we need to work collectively towards this aim. There are many nascent initiatives, towards this goal, some spiritual, some industrial and others conceptual. I believe that the real answer lies in the "WE". The energy that lives these ecosystems is one energy and it is the same energy that is us. It is one and the same energy that lives and breaths us as does trees, and every other living organism. As one, we are able to continue the evolution of our species. As "I", we are one-by-one, driven by the greed and ego of "I" destroying the "We", our same humanity as we destroy our planet.

The "I" results from our upbringing, in a society that has been galvanized by the success of the individual. But this is a misguided notion as real success stories are underpinned by the work of a collective rather than one individual. The greed of our Ego is driving us to compete at any cost, in the process losing ourselves, our families, our sense of compassion and more importantly humankind, as we race blinded by the objective of being the ultimate winner who, in our culture is defined as the one with most money.

There is no "I" in nature but the collective "We" that includes the cosmos, our solar system, our beautiful planet, the trees, the oceans, you and I. Our fear and shame drives our Ego to achieve at all cost, in the process losing everything. And yet, the alternative brings so much more adundance, peace and happiness, bundles of compassion and a humanity that lives as one with nature and itself.

Call me a dreamer. However, at 55 and many of these years driven by greed, I see the only real alternative we have, which is to focus on our creativity rather than the greed of Ego. The only real and sustainable wealth!

To iPad or not to iPad

The following are my comments on an article recently published about the new Apple iPad.

I remember the die-hard apple lovers, knocking the PC decades ago (using similar arguments to the ones above) and we all know how things evolved from there.

Now the non-apple die-hards are at it and they are equally as out of touch. Your technology arguments might be correct. However, as Microsoft proved with it's PC OS and applications, Apple is showing that it learnt it's lesson and now engages the industry developers to produce apps that will make its hardware successful. Except that Apple has a new weapon in it's arsenal, great design.

iPad is a paradigm shifter that contemporaries are not able to comprehend and I am sure history will show that negative views are just "limited vision"!

Aldo Grech - CxO Consulting

Corporate anorexic lethargy

We see it in most interviews, most meetings, strategies and decisions.

Cleverly it has been perfectly masqueraded in sophisticated concepts such as steering committees, team-work, delegation, "I'll talk to my people"..... you get the point. Not that some of these are not important business concepts. However, one needs to ask themselves, "am I getting involved in these processes to cover my arse (or CMA as one of my colleagues recently explained to me!), or am I clear about what I know needs to happen in this situation and I wish to get everybody's feedback to ensure the best possible outcome"?

This sounds like a subtle (but significant) diversion between the two. And the diversion is fear. Fear is at the core of corporate decision-making. After-all, I need my job and why should I stick my neck-out and get victimized by those that decide my tenure. Our experience is that this fear is experienced at both sides of this discussion. The "manager" is equally as fearful as you, in case they authorise the wrong proposal as they too report to somebody; and so on and so forth.

The end result is mediocrity.

Volumes have been written about agile businesses. Agility is key, especially in today's interconnected world. We have introduced amazing efficiency tools and yet, as always, the biggest expense in an organisation is human resource and organisations that allow this "fear" to manage decision-making are ensuring that this already significant cost, is even larger.

So what are we doing about turning this significant expense into an investment. The problem is where do we start. It is a chicken and egg situation. Most are not prepared to stick their neck out, and even when they do, those around them feel it is their responsibility to protect them from themselves. So, the result is corporate anorexic lethargy (CAL) where expensive time is wasted wallowing and avoiding the unavoidable, making a decision. We have all heard that not making a decision is ALWAYS making the wrong decision. "Oh but at least I get to keep the job, after all, nobody was ever sacked for not making a decision"!

How do you gauge CAL? What internal research do you regularly carry-out to monitor the (hopefully) decreasing levels of CAL within your organisation?

For the problem here is about creating an open environment where fear is parked at the door. Fear is not the result of how you or your managers behave and manage. However, you and your managers could trigger the fear that exists within most human beings. This fear is the result of the "wounded child" inside most of us and rears its ugly head when threatened, and the person in fear has no power over it once threatened!

So what do we do?

The short-term answer is to ensure empathy at every level of your organisation as a result of your understanding as a Leader that the best in everybody is found by allowing them to freely contribute their best creativity within their role.

The long-term solution is to devise programs that free your people from the tyranny of the "wounded-child" that once freed and in your nurturing environment will transform your business into a GREAT organisation.

A true leader has already faced this fear and is already ensuring that the nurturing and empathetic environment has been created and they are your toughest competition should you be competing for the same business. ("The Accidental CEO", available from CxO is a great read regarding this subject).

CxO engages experts in the field of "wounded child" and "adaptive adult" to unleash your organisational true potential. Contact us for further information.

Aldo Grech - CxO Consulting

Australia says NO to internet censorship!

Did you know the Australian Government is proposing an internet censorship scheme that goes further than any other democracy in the world? That's why I'm one of over 100,000 Australians who have signed the petition to Save the Net. Will you join me?

This Friday, our petition will grace the pages of newspapers across the nation. That way the Government, who are due to make a decision any day now, will be left in no doubt as to how deeply unpopular this kind of censorship is in Australia. Can you help me make that petition too large to ignore?

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/AddYourNameSaveTheNet

Our Government should be doing all in its power to take Australia into the 21st century economy, and to protect our children. This proposed internet censorship does neither. The plan has even been slammed by children's welfare groups, who say the filter is "fundamentally flawed" and simply will not work.

Can you join me and children's welfare groups, internet providers, consumers, engineers, network administrators, and over 100,000 everyday Australians in defence of our freedoms? Let's make sure this Friday's newspaper ad has an impact too large to ignore.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/AddYourNameSaveTheNet

Thanks!

Is Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, a true Leader?

I have been waiting with great anticipation the emergence of the real Mr. Rudd, from behind the nice suits, the great rhetoric and well prepared 3 liners that seem to roll-off his tongue in response to any question of note levelled at him.

Today I believe we start to see his Leadership emerge. He is promising to correct a huge error on the Australian business landscape; the break-up of Telstra. Leaders operate from their essence and do the right thing rather than the most popular one (or the one that wins more votes).

Kevin Rudd is in a great position to do this. His unquestionable electoral lead protects him from a back-lash of some level that his government will undoubtedly face. Greedy organisations (that have raked-in millions if not billions of dollars) and their powerful media partners will embark on scaremongering campaigns designed to protect their income at the cost of every tax-payer.

The telecommunications industry in Australia is well behind the rest of the world with Telstra traditionally overcharging for its services and under-delivering, protected by its monopolistic position.

And yes, some of us will be impacted by seeing a short-term lowering of share values. This is the time (as we recommend in the article "Vote with your Money") that you divest from Telstra and invest in the Telco that you have chosen as your service provider. In any case, you stand to win as investor or not, once the scare-mongering and the defense mechanisms of Telstra pass, we will be left with a competitive environment where prices will be lower and service will be better; as has been the experience in other countries that have truly followed the path of de-monopolisation.

Aldo Grech - CxO Consulting