Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time

Cognitive dissonance runs rampant inside workplaces. The idea that I have joined and voluntarily remain in a place, and the idea that the place I am in is run by some incompetent, venal, mean individual, are two highly discordant thoughts. It is often difficult to change the reality of my joining and remaining in my present place of employment. It

“What were you thinking? If you need to work to support yourself, you need to (a) always, and I mean always, be looking for new jobs both within your current employer and ones on the outside so you have options available to you at all times, and (b) be constantly working on your relationship with your new boss. No one can count on stability in comp

“healthcare organisations that systematically and effectively learn from the failures that occur in the care delivery process . . . are rare”;

Institute for Corporate Productivity

Goldsmith’s and Godtfredsen’s programs require a daily question process whereby at the same time each day (in the morning or evening, for example), individuals rate themselves on how well they have progressed on the five or six questions that have the greatest impact on their personal and professional objectives. Systematically and regularly reflec

The most fundamental principle of learning theory is that behavior is a function of its consequences. When behavior is rewarded, that behavior gets repeated with even greater frequency. When behavior is ignored or punished, the frequency of the behavior diminishes.37 In the world of leadership, and particularly the world of senior leadership, what

studies of the selection of military officers show that “the confidence, charisma, and optimism associated with . . . narcissists are positive leadership traits” leading to “higher leadership ratings from peers and supervisors.”30

Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).19

For every aspect of operations, the question was “Do you have a standard?” Standards and measurements, made visible through charts in every unit, were what drove the remarkable performance improvement—not nice words or inspiring stories.