The 12 Elements of Great Managing

3. The Opportunity to Do What I Do Best

One of the most delicate aspects of managing is matching the right
people to the right assignments.
It is the manager’s responsibility to uncover and strengthen employee
talents.
Emphasis should be on improving strengths rather than fixing
weaknesses.
Matching a person to the right job, or a job to
the right person, is one of the most complicated
responsibilities any manager will face.
The current evidence points to the conclusion
that individuals are not born the same and not
infinitely capable.
The research says any given person is a unique
combination of talents who will succeed to the
degree these essential traits are employed.
Each individual has a durable personality. He/she
has weaknesses; he/she has talents.

The better a manager/leader can help him/her

recognize and utilize innate talents, the more
effective that employee will be.

Each employee will succeed in a relatively unique

way, applying his/her own style to the
accomplishment.
Despite the research and all the evidence that focusing on
maximizing the natural talents of employees, only about
one in three employees can strongly agree that they ‘have
the opportunity to do what they do best every day’.

Creating an effective team requires more than just filling all

the job descriptions with someone who has the right talent
and experience.

How well the team members’ abilities combine is as

important as the abilities themselves.
 Introverts and Extroverts
Seven Common Misconceptions
1. Myth: Introverts are shy. Introversion and shyness are not
synonymous. Introverts just seem shy because they tend to think
before they speak.
2. Myth: Introverts don’t make good public speakers.
3. Myth: Introverts are happy, or Extroverts are happier.
4. Myth: You are either an Introvert or an Extrovert. Most of us fall
somewhere in the middle on a continuum.
5. Myth: Extroverts are bad listeners.
6. Myth: Extroverts don’t like quiet or alone time.
7. Myth: Extroverts are shallow. Es and Is have different ways of
processing information.
UNETHICAL DECISIONS AND BUSINESS FAILURE

Challenges
Business is perceived as inherently unethical.
Unfortunately, business is perceived as inherently unethical. The public
often sees the pursuit of profit as unethical itself. This results in harm
to the business and hampers growth in global communities, which is a
failure in business without the company even behaving unethically.
Some businesses truly are unethical.

Another challenge is that some businesses truly are corrupt and

perpetuate this idea of business as evil. All too frequently, companies lie
about their products' success and benefits in order to generate more
profit, even if this harms society.

Elizabeth Holmes had a great idea in mind with her "Edison Machine,"
which would enable people to check small blood samples at home to
catch any signs of harmful diseases early. But the product was never fully
ready for public use, and Holmes lied, saying it was ready in order to
increase company profits. This significantly harmed consumers. Likewise,
the over-prescription of opioids caused an epidemic.
Purdue Pharma lied to doctors and civilians about the benefits of their
painkillers, increasing the firm’s profits while causing addiction, despair,
and death.
The structure of businesses promotes unethical behavior.
A third challenge to the relationship between unethical decision-
making and business failure is that the
hierarchical structure of most businesses encourages unethical practice
s.
Employees can defer to a supervisor’s unethical orders, not even
questioning whether what they are told to do is right.

In addition, subordinates are often afraid to speak up simply because

they are lower in rank. Employees may also be incentivized by their
employers not to report unethical behavior. And when employees do
speak up, they may face ostracization, be passed up for a promotion,
receive worse evaluations, or even be dismissed from the company.
Opportunities
Businesses are held to a high standard and must prove their ethicality.
Despite these challenges, the unethical decision-making and business failure
relationship does highlight some opportunities for the business world. For one, due to
the public’s negative perception of them, companies are held to a high standard and
must take steps to prove their ethicality. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)
initiatives have become a staple for nearly every major U.S. company. Common efforts
include donating to charities or partnering with non-profit organizations, launching
programs to support employee well-being, and pledging to reduce the environmental
footprint of a company.

Some companies and executives have even made radical moves to show their
ethicality. Unhappy with the negative connotation of being named a billionaire,
Patagonia CEO Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership of his company (worth an
estimated $3 billion) to a specially-designed trust and non-profit organization to
ensure all of Patagonia’s profits are used to fight climate change and protect
undeveloped land. While this may be an extreme example, it is one way to show
cynical consumers that businesses aim to be a force for good in the world.
Businesses are motivated to work together to create positive change.
By sharing their individual skills and expertise, companies can help other
businesses thrive, which benefits everyone and reduces business failure. For
instance, since non-profit organizations and charities generally do not have
access to the same resources and personnel that major companies do, they
are typically less efficient. Established companies can alleviate this by sharing
their successful business models.

Toyota, for example, has shared its business model, kaizen

(continuous improvement), with numerous non-profits, with striking results.
Engineers helped shave wait times for meals to 20% of their original time, as
well as speed up box-packing times and reduce shipping waste, allowing
charities to serve more people, more efficiently.

Businesses’ assets span far beyond simply money. When businesses are
motivated to share their strengths and expertise, they are able to drastically
improve the lives of those in their communities.
Good companies can inspire and cultivate strong morals in their
employees.
Finally, in a system known for perpetuating unethical behavior
(whether or not just in exceptional cases), there is an opportunity for
good companies to inspire and cultivate strong morals in their
employees. Although the hierarchical structure of most businesses can
foster an environment in which employees fear doing the right thing if
it conflicts with the directions of a superior, it is possible through
ethical leadership to overcome this challenge. When companies
measure success in positive impact rather than in profits, they often do
a better job of fulfilling the purpose of business–to create value and
promote progress in society–than companies focused solely on
financial growth. Ideally, more profit translates to more positive impact.
So Here We Are
Over time, big businesses have evolved to a global scale with many outside
pressures to become supreme and the most profitable. These companies
have inspired people not only to distribute their goods and services, but also
to work together to be successful.
However, certain companies may not consider the ethical nature of their
decisions and often find it easier to avoid failure by either lying to their
customers or incentivizing their employees to be dishonorable. Despite the
potential short-term benefit of such decisions, companies will often face
backlash and a permanent blemish on their reputation and the reputation of
business itself. It is important for companies to instead prove their ethical
practices to their customers, prove that they are working toward the greater
good, and encourage strong principles in their employees. Large corporations
can become exceptionally powerful, so it is essential to society that they
practice ethical decision-making to showcase the good in business.
Leaders Set the Ethical Tone
• Act as positive role models
• Signal what matters by their behavior
• Focus on employees, customers, and the greater good
• Not paying attention to gaining benefits themselves
• Honest with employees, partners, customers, vendors, and
shareholders
• Strive for fairness and honor agreements
• Share the credit for successes and accept the blame when things go
wrong
• Speak up against acts they believe are wrong
Acting Like a Moral Leader
• Business is about values and not just economic performance
• The single most important factor in ethical decision-making in
organizations is whether leaders show a commitment to ethics in their
words and especially their behavior
Moral Leadership

Distinguishing right from wrong and doing right; seeking the

just, honest, and good in the practice of leadership.
Changing Leader Focus from Self to Others
Stewardship

A belief that leaders are deeply accountable to others as well

as to the organization, without trying to control others, define
meaning and purpose for others, or take care of others.
Servant Leadership

Leadership in which the leader transcends self-interest to serve

the needs of others, help others grow, and provide
opportunities for others to gain materially and emotionally.
Framework for Servant Leadership
• Put service before self-interest
• Listen first to affirm others
• Inspire trust by being trustworthy
• Nourish others and help them become whole
Courage

The mental and moral strength to engage in, persevere

through, and withstand danger, difficulty, or fear.
Courage
• Courage means accepting and learning from failure
• Courage means being prepared
• Courage means pushing beyond the comfort zone
• Courage means speaking up: asking for what you want and saying
what you think
• Courage means fighting for a higher purpose
How Does Courage Apply to Moral
Leadership?
• Acting like a moral leader requires personal courage
• Opposing unethical conduct requires courage
Whistleblowing

Employee disclosure of illegal, immoral, or unethical practices

in the organization.
Moral Awareness

An individual’s recognition that a potential action or decision

could affect the welfare or interests of self or others in a way
that may conflict with ethical standards.
Crimes of Obedience
*

Actions performed in response to orders or pressure from

superiors that are generally considered unethical or illegal by
the larger community.