Thinking about the relationship between who and what you value, and how you act as a leader in your business.
WHO ARE YOUR HEROES? The people we admire and appreciate speak volumes about us.
I was once asked who my country’s heroes are (I said Terry Fox, Tommy Douglas and Roberta Bondar). It’s a great question: really you’re asking what you most admire. What matters to you?
Worth thinking about, business leaders: who are your company’s heroes? Today, or last week — who did you appreciate? What did they do? What did they stand for?
Next I’d ask: Are those the qualities and behaviours aligned with the big picture? Are your heroes taking you where you want to go?
For example: Perhaps you value safety and your top performers are those who work around the standard procedure, or don’t report near misses, because they are too busy getting things done. Hmm.
Or you give the most praise to the people who rescue the company from near-disaster? (ignoring those who quietly prevent disaster from nearing in the first place…)
Or say you value innovation and creativity but you most admire that person who chronically shows how a new idea “just won’t work”?
Your heroes give you a lot to think about. Your actions and attitude as a leader go a long way in shaping your company’s culture!