If they do the right thing, does it have to be sincere?

I was reflecting on the best practices for developing senior leadership teams. Not the individuals, the team of leaders who drive the business forward (or backward). In helping senior teams align their daily practices and regimens to yield the best results, there is sometimes a chicken and the egg thing.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

In business, the two elements might be:

A. The right actions.
B. The right intent/feelings.

Does doing the right things lead to the right intent? Or does the right intent lead to the right things? I know MANY leaders who have the right intent but who don't do squat. And I know lots of CLUELESS leaders who are willing to be coached and try anything that might help improve results.

So is it OK if leaders do the right things - make the right decisions, take the right actions - but for reasons that might make us squirm (money, power)? If we believe that the actions will become developmental and win over their hearts in time, then we'd have to say it is OK to embark on the right actions regardless of whether their reasons leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

And then there are others who say that senior leaders ought to be focused on profitability (or other financial results) and that it is the middle manager's job to tend to the care and feeding of employees (making this line in inquiry mute).

What do you think?

How do you know a great leadership team when you see it? What are the qualities of a great team of leaders? How do they conduct business? How does their average day differ from the days experienced by less effective senior team members?

Comments

[Wally Bock]

Provocative post, Lisa. I vote for "do" over "intent." I can't see, experience, measure, or respond to intent. I can only do those things for behavior.

[lisa haneberg]

Wally - thanks for your 2 cents. Interestingly, I think many people do respond to intent - giving people the hope that action will follow - but this does not last forever. The elections are a perfect example of this. Campaign promises are intent (or maybe not, but that is what they say is their intent), and many people will vote based on this. But if the intent never turns into action, they may not get a second vote.

[Mike Wagner]

Your mention of campaign promises reminds me of something I read in Covey years ago.

When there is a lack of trust we can only behave our way into a place of trustworthiness. Is a trust deficit exactly what most politicians are facing?

So I vote for action regardless of intent.

Thanks for a question that gets our minds racing!

Keep creating,
Mike

[Scot Herrick]

When leadership has integrity -- they match their words with their actions.

You can do the right actions...but they must follow the words of the leaders because that is what leadership is about.

Leadership is:

Words that match action
The good with the bad
Treating people like adults
Keeping the smallest of commitments
Highly interactive listening to conversations

IMHO...