Look for The Cracks

Often when I speak about the importance for leaders to embrace accountability, I tell the Hurricane Katrina story and the actions and inactions of then Mayor, Ray Nagin.

It’s an excellent example of what happens to an organization when the leader doesn’t embrace accountability.

Now we have a new Ray Nagin story to tell … after being convicted on a whole host of corruption charges, the former Mayor of New Orleans is going to prison for 10 – years. You can read about it here.

At the very core of every effective leader is the attribute of ‘unwavering character’ … without it, a leader will always be challenged to earn trust and loyalty. Their credibility will always be in question.

Hurricane Katrina occurred 9 – years ago. If back then, we looked closer at Mayor Nagin, maybe we would have seen the cracks in his character and could have predicted this day … it’s hard to say.

My leadership tip for you this week is to be on alert for the cracks in your organization. What seems innocent and tolerable today may lead to a bigger problem for you in the future.

I don’t want you to go on a witch hunt, but I do want you to raise the antenna for the next 45 – days.

Reflect and think – pay attention to what’s going on around you now that requires you to take action. There are many examples, but here are a few to get you going:

A small little lie you let someone get away with may be a crack which could one day lead to a bigger more damaging lie.

A small indiscretion today that you ignore may be a crack that one day leads to a major law suit.

A minor conflict today that doesn’t get addressed may lead to a stifling organizational silo.

A minor non-performance issue today may be an indication that larger non-performance issues are on the horizon.

An unexpected resignation from a key employee to work somewhere else may be a crack that leads to significant unwanted turnover.

In reality, effective leadership is the solution for all of these and any other cracks you identify … so the key for you is to be aware that they exist and provide exceptional leadership.

Enjoy your leadership journey !

This article was used with the permission of leadership development expert, Randy Goruk. Visit his website and register to receive his complimentaryleadership tips: http://www.LeadersEdge360.com