Over 7 Wednesdays in January and February, I’ll describe 7 remarkably simple components of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. that you can apply to your everyday conduct. The ability to earn R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is a critical Leadership requirement … and we have absolute control over the actions we take to earn it. It’s also the “centerpiece of accountability“, a concept that vexes even the most astute business leaders. Since it’s impossible to be an effective leader without gaining respect, let’s devote some time and energy to learn how to give it … to get it. Are you with me?
So far in our R.E.S.P.E.C.T. series, we’ve discussed the “R”: Right on Time, Every Time; the “E“: Every call returned in 24 hours; “S“:say something nice like Mom taught us; and “P” = Praise more and blame less. Last week we talked about how important it is to be “E” = Easy to work with.
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Are you a compassionate leader?Compassion has a lot of definitions, depending on who you ask. Dictionaries refer to feelings of sympathy and sorrow. Others call it an awareness of someone else’s plight. But virtually all definitions add another dimension … the desire to alleviate the distress.
For too many executives … I’ll include myself in more prehistoric days … compassion is limited by what works best for the business. But that’s not compassion … it’s expedience. We’ve talked about lessons that Mom taught us … and we’ve always known that acting with compassion, politeness or kindness is easier when there is no “cost” or inconvenience.
Compassion is embedded in your character … not an instrument to pull from the tool kit when it’s convenient. All of us know compassion when we see it … and we know when compassion is expedience is disguise. When our boss says he understands our problem, we can tell whether he’s saying it to appear compassionate, to elicit our good wishes or to genuinely share his awareness of our distress and his willingness to reach out as a genuine resource.
You may remember when I talked about an old friend, mentor and boss, Sid Rich, who passed away just over one year ago. I remember one occasion when an employee approached him about a personal financial crisis. It was pretty serious because after their closed door meeting, Sid came into my office and said, “”We need to help Bernie with a financial hardship. Write him a check for $10,000″ … that was a lot more money over 30 years ago … “we’ll figure out the terms later.” But I knew Sid. He hadn’t given a moment’s thought to any “terms” … and there never were any.
There was no hesitation, no deliberation or delay … no calculation to figure out what’s in the best interest of the business. Sid knew what to do and did it immediately. He acted with compassion … cost and inconvenience were not only irrelevant, but I’m certain they never crossed his mind. That’s what genuine compassion looks like … without compromise or calculation.
Genuine compassion has legs. It not only serves a particular situation and individual, but it hangs a banner from the rafters that says “We Care”.
Don’t worry. You can’t fool the people in the stadium by putting up banners that haven’t been earned. In fact, it’s the people in your organization that erect the banners … you’ve got nothing to say about it … and they’ll tear ‘em down and burn ‘em if there’s any compromise, hesitation or calculation afoot.
Imagine the value of such uncompromising compassion in the heart of our leaders. Will people take advantage of it? You can bet on it. Will they get away with it? Many will.
But, everyone will be inclined to be more compassionate themselves They will have a new-found respect for a compassionate organization that recognizes that everyone gets their turn in the barrel … it’s often no one’s fault … and that you, as a business leader, will be uncompromising in pouring your humanity into supporting that individual. There’s probably no more compelling emotion that binds people to an organization than one that, without calculation, reaches out to individuals in need … and won’t compromise just because a few misfits take advantage of it.
Do you work for a compassionate organization? If not, what behavior can you model to promote it?
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Respect is something we have to earn. It can’t be bought or stolen. Our parents preached it, Aretha Franklin’s timeless rock ‘n roll anthem preached about it … and Rodney Dangerfield’s Grammy award-winning comedy album, No Respect, explains why we can’t get any. (BTW, this clip is hilarious!)
Remember that the general precepts of our R.E.S.P.E.C.T – How To Get It by Earning It series, are at the core of one of the most tormenting challenges faced by business leaders … how promote and achieve accountability throughout the organization. I have spoken extensively on this subject, including at a national webinar sponsored by Success Factors last year, and it may be one of the most exasperating issues that CEOs face because it’s also central to creating a responsible culture, without which, not much gets done. You’ll find other resources about the Cornerstone of Accountability in the Speaking section under Leadership Challenges and Solutions.
Welcome to Exkalibur. I’m Lary Kirchenbauer, President of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc. Please take advantage of our resources to help you build your business ... and let me know what more we can do to serve you.
Read my latest column from the NY Times affiliate, the North Bay Business Journal.
Within a three year period I had two different startups and one acquisition to deal with. Lary's involvement in the projects allowed me to raise substantial amounts of capital on all occasions. He makes even the most monumental task seem effortless. His tireless attention and focus on the project gets things done, done right, and under deadline.
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