The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Tag Archive for ‘Leadership’

After Paterno, Penn State’s Struggle to Rebuild Trust

With the death of long-time football coach Joe Paterno, Penn State enters a new stage of its crisis stemming from criminal sex abuse charges against a former assistant coach. Columnist Gael O’Brien thinks the university’s trustees have made numerous mistakes and says the institution now must learn “how to tolerate discomfort with unflattering headlines while the focus is on trust building, not brand building.”

Scandalous Leadership and Organization Culture: A Theme Runs Through It

While there’s no excuse for recent leadership scandals, Art Stewart writes, “it is also irresponsible to dismiss outright our own role in engendering a culture of duplicity, incompetence, and corruption as if it all could manifest from unsupported solo acts.”

That’s No Way to Say Goodbye: The Business of Firing a CEO

The sudden dismissal of a chief executive has seemingly become commonplace practice at big companies. But columnist Gael O’Brien says the firing of a CEO and how he or she leaves their position often reveals a lot about them, their bosses, and their organization. In the end, she writes, “shareholders aren’t served by blame games.”

The Rise in Unemployment and the Loss of Civility

An executive recruiter in the compliance field says he’s recently noticed a disturbing trend: as the global economy stagnates and seemingly worsens, and job cuts are announced daily, tensions rise. “Frustration, irritation and the loss of common decency pervades,” he says. “It has truly become a dog-eat-dog environment.”

Raising the Credibility Quotient of Responsible Leadership

A corporate strategist says that in the new environment of hyper scrutiny, increasing regulation, vigilante-styled consumer retribution, “occupy” public protests, and overnight reversals in public trust and confidence, it’s essential for leaders and their organizations to close the gap between the “talk” they offer publicly and the “walk” they employ in day-to-day business.

How US Airways Dealt with a Hostile Work Environment

Columnist Gael O’Brien recently encountered a two-hour flight delay stemming from an argument between two stewardesses on a US Airways flight. While it was a major inconvenience for her and other passengers, she writes, the airline’s handling of the situation demonstrated a “formula for leadership that builds trust and reputation, a formula we don’t see often enough.”

The Challenge of Authentic Leadership

Of all the styles and types of leadership, something called authentic leadership seems the easiest to achieve – after all, who wouldn’t want to be, and come across as, the genuine article? But it may be more complicated than that. Columnist Gael O’Brien asks: “Is it possible that a 21st century leadership can emerge that involves self awareness, emotional intelligence, and authenticity?”

Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a Leader

Columnist Gael O’Brien thinks that in these increasingly uncertain times it’s worth examining the basic methodology used by many serial entrepreneurs. The process of taking small steps to “act, learn and build from,” she says, offers models for navigating the unknown, building trust and handling potential ethical conflicts.

Women and Leadership: Roadmaps for the Journey

Acquiring the skills needed for leadership isn’t easy for members of either sex. But for women who pursue careers in companies, there is the daunting reality that unless you start your own business, a leadership role can be hard to come by. Columnist Gael O’Brien speaks with McKinsey consultant and author Joanna Barsh about her research into “centered leadership” and how it might help accelerate the leadership journey for women.

Ethics of Being Wrong: Ghosn, Greenspan, and Dodger Owners

Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn recently accused three of the company’s senior executives of selling corporate secrets to the Chinese. But he was wrong – they hadn’t done it. Columnist Gael O’Brien says being wrong is part of being human, and leaders should be especially mindful of that . “The more we stay open to the possibility we could be wrong,” she says, “the more likely we are to get beyond our own ‘rightness’ and experience a larger reality.”