THE FIRST LADY’S STAFF IS RIGHT TO LASH OUT AT NEWS MEDIA

Rather than bashing Melania Trump for plagiarism the media should be trumpeting (excuse the pun) her intentions here, which is promoting kindness and civility. Melania Trump is in the most difficult position on earth having to live with and trying to tame the most difficult person on earth. 

Promoting ‘Be Best’ is a clear act of defiance, sending a clear message to the President - You are not the best. 

This bashing is a perfect example of the media looking for negativity and creating it if necessary. Why should she reinvent the wheel? This in stark contrast to her husband, who has done his very best to systematically dismantle as much of President Obama’s good work as he possibly can.

Melania is a lady, and by her example, she has become a great and much hungered for role model for today’s youth. The fact that she unabashedly stands up against her husband’s discombobulated arrogance and meanspirited proposals speaks volumes and serves to encourage others who feel trampled under his oppressive words and actions. 

It should be noted that in introducing the initiative, there was transparency, indicating the repackaging of existing programs. A booklet with the branding of her “Be Best” initiative was first published by the Federal Trade Commission during the Obama era, setting off a storm of unfair accusations.

Why Whistleblowers Are Essential

The indictment of Martin Winterkorn, the Ex-Volkswagen C.E.O. charged with fraud over diesel emissions, as reported in this New York Times article, makes Volkswagen more vulnerable to lawsuits by shareholders who say top managers concealed risks. People internally were aware; but they didn’t come forward because they were scared into silence. Note the exposures. Not only was this covered up at the very top; this shows they doubled down on their complicity with an inadequate, incomplete and flawed internal sham investigation. 

By taking a close look at where cultural bombs have gone off, the most recent being Nike, and all of the exposures resulting from the MeToo movement, it becomes more and more evident that had people blown the whistle, many of the problems would have been avoided. More importantly the corruption misbehavior and abuse could have been avoided.

In most situations of this nature, people are afraid to come forward because when they do come forward, they get fired. Take, for example, the issue in Charlotte County, NB, as reported in an editorial in the Telegraph Journal, where a member of the Southwest Regional Service Commission was fired recently for blowing the whistle over an irregularity. That case is heading to court. 

Duke Tran was the whistleblower who came forward at Wells Fargo. He went through hell fighting the injustice he endured, including losing his job. He just won his case. This New York Times article describes the incredible turmoil he went through in order to stand up for what was right and true.

My own experience, which I discuss in detail in my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, sent me into 18 months of shear hell because of what I went through when I blew the whistle on a corrupt corporate executive. The troubling truth, as I write, is that too often established structures in society are better equipped to silence criticism than whistleblowers are equipped to expose wrongdoing. This must change!

How an investment in education can save democracy

‘EDGE of CHAOS’- Why Democracy Is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth - and How to Fix It’ by Dambisa Moyo, is the latest book by this prizewinning economist who was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine in 2009. The Financial Times, in their praise of Moyo, nailed it when they wrote, “If we do have to face facts, Moyo is our woman. So much has been packed into it, that the book is impossible to read without learning something.”

While the book focuses on the geopolitical, social and economic dynamics of countries, the messages and sage advice can and should be considered by organizational leaders in every segment of our society. One of the most powerful arguments Moyo makes is the prerequisite answers to the challenges we face is the investment that needs to be made in education as a foundational pillar. Those jurisdictions who fail on this, will fail economically, politically and will fail socially all of which fuels the demise of democracy.

Is the Canadian media racist?

This New York Times article points out the importance of the media’s reporting on something like Canadian student Jack Greenwood’s alleged hate crime as a message to the public of the consequences of engaging in this kind of activity. Yes, there was alcohol; yes, he was young; but for what he did, these are not adequate excuses. 

It is amazing that The Globe and Mail  featured this article on protecting the names of individuals who conspired in the infamous bread price-fixing scandal, considering the fact that, other than this short piece in the National Post, Canadian media failed to report anything on Greenwood being charged with a hate crime and the subsequent plea bargain. His story should have been front and center in the Canadian media as a strong message against hate crimes. Giving Greenwood a pass on this is perplexing and disturbing.The Globe is fighting to report the naming of someone here; but giving Greenwood a pass sets a double standard.

In the plea bargain, it is interesting to note that Greenwood was contrite. In stark contrast, his lawyers say Greenwood was the victim and that he “never should have been charged”, which makes the whole plea bargain disingenuous. The concept of restorative justice is also given a slap in the face. Why did Greenwood not contradict him by saying, “those are my lawyer’s comments and feelings, not mine?” 

The young black man who was targeted, and his family, agreed to this lenient deal, showing a high degree of grace, class, and dignity.  In contrast to this, Greenwood, by not challenging his lawyer on those comments, showed a complete lack of grace, class, and dignity. 

The real story is the negligence of the Canadian media, for whatever reason, not reporting this. If this turning a blind eye was an attempt to give a young person a break, that doesn’t cut it.  We rightfully expect the media to report honestly and openly on issues and stories of this nature. My bet is that if the situations were reversed, where a black man targeted a white Canadian, that would have been reported on.

In the case of Bill Cosby, a similar dynamic is at play.The publicist likened Mr. Cosby’s case to that of the black boy who was lynched after he was wrongly accused of flirting with a white woman in 1955.This is akin to his lawyer’s claim that he was the victim. Bullies and abusers almost always claim to be the victim.

I know the Greenwood family well, and they are friends; but I do not agree with the blinkered media. As a member of the community, I have the responsibility to expose this, despite the likely damage to my relationship. 

But it should have been the media who addressed this story first! Living in a time when hate crimes are increasing at an alarming rate, people need to be made aware of when such crimes occur, under what circumstances, and what was done about them. To let someone off the hook, smacks of racism and the WASP effect.

Recently, the federal government has proposed legislation to promote and protect Canadian content. The media is asking the public to pony up to protect local and Canadian content; but by not covering a story like this begs the question why they are asking for this in the first place.

LEADERS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TOXIC CULTURES ????

This shocking New York Times article on workplace culture reveals that after several WNYC radio hosts were fired over harassment claims, the station commissioned an investigation into its own workplace culture. The investigation by the firm Proskauer Rose found a reluctance to report incidents of bullying and harassment but absolved the station's leadership. It is unbelievable and frankly unacceptable for senior management to be entirely let off the hook as they were. It’s unacceptable simply because of what the investigation did find - a culture of fear, which in my experience is systematic.

Given the importance to society that the media enjoys, it is imperative that they set and adhere to a high bar for rules of conduct. More importantly however, senior management needs to understand that these rules apply to them, too.

The Globe and Mail reports on yet another example of leadership claiming they were unaware of inappropriate behaviour. This time it is with the director of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, who allegedly was involved in sexual misconduct, causing him to resign. Such naivete will continue to cripple organizations.

In my book ‘From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire’,I discuss the toxic nature of coverups as well as the ineptitude of leadership revealed by ‘being unaware’. If this form of bullying behaviour continues, the toxic culture it produces will remain, resulting in higher turnover and weaker employee engagement, with the end result being lower productivity and greater discontent.

Photo credit: publicdomainpictures.net

BOSSES CAUSE WORKPLACE STRESS FOR 75 PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES - HERE’S AN EXAMPLE

In yesterday’s post, I highlighted a study which showed that bosses cause workplace stress for 75 percent of workers. This story about the air marshal’s program illustrates what people go through largely because of those who manage them. 

The marshals view their jobs as critical to protecting planes and airports from terrorists. But the numerous complaints of alcohol abuse, sexual harassment and racist behavior describe an agency in chaos.

Another example of the importance of healthy employee engagement is described in this New York Times article by Kevin Rose, which further indicates that the tech industry is overlooking the obvious - bring back the human element in leadership.

Employees in every sector should leverage the supply demand equation by taking collective action to demand being treated with respect and dignity; and leadership that can be trusted.

Photo credit: pxhere.com

BRINGING BACK THE HUMAN ELEMENT

This perspective is consistent with what the Faas Foundation has been advocating in its initiative to create psychologically healthy, safe, fair and productive workplaces. In partnership with the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health America, we have found that for the majority of North American workers, dialogue between managers and supervisors is limited to the annual or semiannual performance review, or when things go south. 

A survey conducted by Harvard and Stanford Universities suggest that as many as 120,000 deaths occur annually as a direct result of unnecessary stress in the workplace. This is an alarming number, and given that the economic impact can be as high as $1.5 trillion, this should be a high priority to any business leader.

This article in APost explains how a toxic boss negatively impacts employees’ health, accounting for a whopping 75 percent of stress in the workplace! Unfortunately, employees haven’t had a lot of choice and have had to accept these circumstances because that’s just the way it is, and they can’t afford to quit. However, the whole landscape is changing, where attraction and retention of employees is the biggest issue for employers. 

In my recent blog, I discuss this dynamic in reference to both Facebook and McKesson. Thankfully, employees are starting to have a choice because there is a fight on for employees. Employers should start to consider and be very worried if 75% of their employees are in this kind of a bad situation. No amount of ping pong tables or other enticements will offset that toxic culture. Organizations will succeed or fail based on employee attraction, engagement, and retention.

In a period of time where employers are looking for magic bullets to protect their organizations from harassment and abuse exposures, as well as attracting and retaining employees in an increasingly tight labor market, they are still blind to the obvious, which is bringing back the human element into the equation and value the exchange between the employer and employee. 

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EMOTIONS ARE WHAT BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUST

Emotional intelligence is largely viewed in the business community as a soft skill to make people happy and be nice to each other. This perception is debunked in a recent book,‘ A LEADER’S GUIDE TO SOLVING CHALLENGES WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE’, written by David R. Caruso (a good friend and an associate of mine at Yale) and Lisa T. Rees.

In the introduction they cite an IBM study of 1,500 CEO’s interviewed on the future of leadership development indicating, “Their number one concern and worry is that today’s leaders are ill equipped to lead in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous conditions”. They also note the World Economic Forums position that “emotional intelligence is one of the 10 required skills for the future workforce”.

In a Mental Health America/Faas Foundation study called ‘MIND THE WORKPLACE’, we found that relationships and trust in most organizations are shockingly dismal. Consider these responses from over 20,000 workers:

. Only 17 percent feel that their company always or often appropriately deals with coworkers who are not doing their job.

. Only 28 percent feel that all people are held accountable for their work, regardless of their position in the company.

. Only 36 percent feel if things get hard, their supervisor will always or often support them.

. Only 34 percent trust their team or coworkers will always or often support their work activities.

. A whopping 77 percent feel that people are being unfairly recognized while others with better experience or skills don’t get recognized.

Given these statistics, it is small wonder that from the same study 71 percent always, often or sometimes speak poorly about their company to others.

Much of what is out there on emotional intelligence has a disproportionate focus on improving individual wellbeing, “self-care”, and promoting “relax and engage in positive emotions all of the time”. This in my view is why emotional intelligence is viewed as a soft skill.

In their book, Caruso and Rees make it clear that their goal is “not to have you be a happy, upbeat, cheery, positive person all of the time.” They “want you to engage with and grapple with the toughest leadership challenges and to succeed at those challenges.” Another goal is “not to keep a smile on your face...” but rather “give you the skills, focus and energy so you have the emotional resources to engage with the toughest leadership challenges.”

In the book, pragmatic emotional intelligence blueprints are provided for solving the tough leadership challenges they have identified, which are largely much in line with the ones highlighted in my book ‘From Bully to Bull’s Eye - Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire’. They are:

. Leading teams in strategic planning and visioning.

. Giving feedback to an underperforming employee

. Delivering disappointing news to a high achiever

. Laying off an unsatisfactory employee

. Retaining an under-utilized top-notch employee

. Dealing with a dissatisfied team

. Leading unproductive meetings

. Leading virtual teams

. Making an unpopular decision

. Dealing with a volatile boss

. Dealing with a disengaged boss

. Dealing with an unethical boss

. Working with an overreaching colleague

. Working with a volunteer board of directors

. Working with an unmotivated colleague

. Working with unsupportive colleagues

. Dealing with an unhappy client

. Presenting to a skeptical audience

. Responding to an angry email

. Dealing with a work bully

. Dealing with uncertainty and volatility

. Delivering unwelcome news

. Losing drive and passion for work

‘A LEADER’S GUIDE TO SOLVING CHALLENGES WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE’ is a must read for everyone in a management and leadership position and become compulsory in B school and executive development curriculum.  

Andrew Faas is the author of ‘From Bully to Bull’s Eye - Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire’, and is a Public Voices Fellow at Yale University.

Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.com

 

THINKING IN TIME

The book ‘Thinking in Time’ is a must read for those who question, ‘Does history repeat itself?’ I have long held the view that what we are experiencing is frightening similar to the early thirties in Germany. Many mocked me for a review I did on Eric Larson’s book ‘In the Garden of Beasts’ making this comparison. “A madman’s manic certainties can overcome reason and outrage turn to a shrug. Then comes the fall.” Reason and outrage are the only things that can prevent history from repeating itself. 

Madeleine Albright has written a  new book, “Fascism: A Warning”, as discussed by Michelle Goldberg in her New York Times opinion,  warning about fascism both abroad and at home.

In this article, Roger Cohen explains just how a madman’s manic certainties can overwhelm reason, and how outrage can turn into a shrug. Then comes the fall. History appears to be repeating itself. Let’s learn from the lessons of the past before it’s too late.

Photo credit: Ground Floor Gallery

ANOTHER CULTURAL TIME BOMB EXPLODES

This story is yet another horrible example of ‘Growth at any Cost’ culture.

Because of simple demographics the one of biggest issues organizations are facing is the attraction and retention of employees. I refer you to my book, ’From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire,’ where I focus on ‘Bullying and the Retention of Talent’ (Part 3, section ii, pp 175-181)  In 2016 McKesson was ranked the 26th most admired company in a LinkedIn survey.

There is no doubt that McKesson has worked hard at becoming an employer of choice by having progressive employment practices and benefits. If the allegations against McKesson are accurate, they will find that progressive employment practices and benefits are not a substitute for a prerequisite condition that employees should consider of their employers - trust.

Illustration: Dureall Ramsdell