If You Want to Be a Good Leader, Understand The Link Between Business Values and Leadership
Let’s look at two different lessons about leadership and corporate values:
In 1982, Johnson and Johnson (J&J) discovered that someone had contaminated their Tylenol Extra Strength capsules in at least half a dozen Chicago pharmacies and grocery stores. Because of their corporate values committed to public safety, J&J leadership responded immediately: warned customers to stop consuming it, halted advertising and removed all Tylenol from store shelves until they could determine the extent of the tampering.
In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig platform exploded, and its owner, British Petroleum (BP), realized it had a leak. Company officials first reported the leak volume was low, but when the rig sunk days later and eleven workers died, investigations into BP’s practices found they took shortcuts, cut corners and ignored early warning signs. Its leadership was dishonest from the get-go, and to recover, the company had to revisit and update its corporate values.
Business values are the guiding principles that shape an organization’s culture and inform its decisions and actions. Good leadership, in turn, is essential for aligning an organization’s actions with its values and creating a positive and productive culture.
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You Can Think Yourself Into the Person You Want to Be
Use the power of thought for maximum success.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mentor — someone to turn to for help, direction, motivation and the next big steps in your life. I know because I was one of those unlucky people, but sometimes you have to make your own luck. Even if you find yourself without a mentor, you can still establish that same relationship with someone that might not be as real through the inspiration they left behind.
What if you could turn to a roundtable of counselors that included powerful minds like Napoleon Hill, Augustine “Og” Mandino, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale and Orison Swett Marden? Imagine being able to call on any of history’s greatest success stories as mentors whenever you need help. Well, you can! They wrote everything down in their books with the very intent of having others find the answers they need.
Among my roundtable of mentors, the one who most influenced my life was James Allen. By picking up his book, I can call him any time and get the answers, life lessons and character-building I need. He may not be alive to know it, but James Allen’s mentorship taught me to understand the relationship between my thoughts and circumstances, which allowed me to become the leader I am today.
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3 Ways to Stay Family-Focused in the Face of a Demanding Career
A winning work-life balance is often seen as a lofty dream, but with some applied structure and discipline, it’s not just possible, but instrumental in becoming your best self.
It frequently seems that being successful in business means all of your time, patience and focus must be applied. After spending many years in the corporate world, some of them as a single dad coaching two kids in soccer, I learned that balancing career aspirations and family is a truly large task — difficult, but not impossible. Of course, who you are in business is an important aspect of who you are as a whole person, but it’s not the only or most important one. For maximum growth, fun and success in your career, family and individual life, a healthy balance of all three is essential. When you dedicate focused time to each, you prevent burnout, better regulate emotional responses and build and maintain strong relationships.
Here’s how I do it.
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To Become a Top Executive, Take Control of Your Personal Brand Today
Personal branding is the number one strategy you should employ in order to build trust in both you and your business.
In today’s search-engine era, numerous search platforms make it easier than ever to find out all you could ever need to know about products, businesses or even personal information about senior-level executives. At the same time, with so much information out there, it can be easy to go unnoticed — which is why companies dedicate entire teams to branding their image, mission, vision and values. This branding helps grow their business.
But when it comes to growing a career, personal branding is key.
If you aspire to greater things, it is more important to create a personal brand than anything else. Take your skill sets and make them shine in the places where everybody can see you. The stronger the branding, the better the chances of excelling and accelerating your career.
If your sights are set on becoming an executive or getting onto company boards, then personal branding is the best first choice you can make to get started. Here’s why.
Public profiles speak volumes
An overwhelming majority of employers say candidates’ social-media accounts affect their hiring decisions, meaning a poor public image can cost you a job. Before even scheduling an interview, the employers who work with my company to bring on board members do their own research on each executive outside of our platform. We analyzed years of this selection data from our clients and found that the common factor increasing an executive’s chance of landing an interview is personal branding.
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How Growing Up in a Communist Country Made Me the Leader I Am
Formative years in 1970s Poland impacted every aspect of my life, and taught me lifelong lessons that continue to enrich and empower.
I was born in Poland in 1971. Shortly after World War II, the USSR forced communism upon the nation, and it was basically under Soviet control. Essentially, anything extra that Poland produced was sent to Soviet Russia to line the pockets of or otherwise empower the elites. Meanwhile, the common people often hovered on the edge of starvation. This existence marked the first ten years of my life, and being raised under communism is something I’ll never forget. In part, the experience drove me to become an entrepreneur and a leader.
Lessons I learned from those formative days:
When life gets hard, work harder
By the time I was 10, I’d witnessed five years of my parents struggling under that oppressive system. Times were always tense, and for many, quite unhappy. We worried about having enough to eat, and there were no gifts at birthdays or on Christmas. When I was about 7, I had to go to the store in the early morning to stand in line, and there were frequently adults fighting around me. At times, it was terrifying.
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Growing Pains: How to Turn Hard Times Into Periods of Immense Personal Growth
Difficult times are often par for the course in business, but your response and approach to these hard times will determine whether they result in hardships or growth.
Almost every entrepreneur will identify with the term “growing pains,” especially in reference to a business’s early months and years. There are periods of time when almost every day presents a struggle to work through or a knot to untangle — I’ve certainly been there myself! If you’re not experiencing any growing pains, you’re probably not growing.
But the good news is that last week’s setback does not define you. In a year’s time, you probably won’t remember whatever problem kept you awake last night. It can be difficult to step back when you’re knee-deep in the latest challenge, but my advice is always to “take the long view.” Today’s trials will eventually fade into memory, as long as you put in the work to conquer them and avoid getting pulled off your path to success. Instead of seeing problems as obstacles cluttering the road ahead, try to view them as steps to climb. Put one foot in front of the other and you will ascend higher toward your goals.
Look outside yourself for inspiration
Many entrepreneurs default to looking inwards for inspiration, ideas and answers to problems. Under the right circumstances, that practice can serve you well. However, don’t forget that opening up to your partners, advisors, line managers and other members of your extended team can make all the difference. Sometimes, turning outwards leads to solutions you never would have considered.
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