…and 45% of College Professors Turn a Blind Eye To It!
Several years ago, I was preparing a presentation on business ethics for a local high school business class. Given the audience, I decided to see what the current mindset was among high school students around cheating – arguably a key indicator of ethical attitudes. The results, including those in the title, were shocking to me. Being a Visiting Professor myself at both undergraduate and graduate level, the toleration statistic was particularly galling.
What does this have to do with Leadership as a Way of Life? Everything! Not a week goes by I do not hear self-proclaimed statements about the positive ethical attitudes and behaviors of individuals and organizations. Given the statistics, which are from multiple studies within the last decade, I would argue this is a greater leadership challenge than we are readily admitting.
What is more concerning about the prevalence of cheating in college is the statistic revealing 85% of college students believe cheating is necessary to get ahead. I suspect it is driven by the “good grades are all that matter” attitude in high school to the “whatever it takes to get ahead” attitude seen in graduate school education. How many times have we heard ourselves say something like “just get it done” or “its all about getting results” without fully understanding the ethical implications? Is the pressure to meet leadership’s expectations turning the organization into a Machiavellian “the ends justify the means” culture? To further support the point for business, The Chronicle of Higher Education raised the point in a September 2006 article that business school students, both undergraduate and graduate level, were more apt to cheat than their non-business school counterparts. Those business school graduates may well be working for you as you read this newsletter!
So just how bad is this cheating epidemic? The November 2010 issue of The Chronicle for Higher Education ran an article written by a paid academic ghostwriter. The writer documents in clear detail writing papers for undergraduate, graduate and doctorate students. The writer completed papers for nursing students, seminary students and education administration students including papers for these groups dealing with ethical issues such as academic integrity! The worst part of the article is, to the writer’s knowledge, none of the students were ever caught. (Click here for online chat results with the ghostwriter).
You can argue, is the problem the cheater or the organization for poor enforcement? In truth, it is both. Leaders set expectations deeply rooted in their own core values as well as the values of the organization. Having core values implies both the leader and the organization enforce them with clear consequences for operating outside these values.
One of the most inspirational speakers I know, John Blumberg, speaks to this topic in his book Good to the Core. My favorite quote from the book is:
“We don’t go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake-up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.”
As you reflect on your core values, are 85% of the recent college graduates in your circle of influence seeing you drift?
Lead Well!
Showing posts with label Accountability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accountability. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Your Mission...
…Should You Choose To Accept It
Many of you recognize this line from the Television series or movie (or both depending on your generation) called Mission: Impossible. I recently had the privilege of delivering the Keynote Address to a group of military veterans at a career transition event the day after Veterans Day. The theme of mission is one our military veterans clearly understand so I and the other speakers leveraged the same theme throughout the event. It also provides the theme for this issue as we head into the holiday season.
Last month, we talked about information overload and its impact on a leader’s ability to make knowledgeable decisions. I would submit having a clear sense of mission is just as important to making meaningful decisions as it creates the tangible importance of making the decision to begin with. When a leader loses the understanding of importance, the overall mission begins to falter. We see organizations in many corners of our environment that have lost their sense of mission. In recent years we have seen examples of government, financial, religious and educational institutions with documented lapses in their sense of mission.
So how do leaders renew their sense of mission? They must first ask themselves why do they exist. Corporations, Entrepreneurial ventures and Not-For-Profits all exist for a defined purpose. The second question every organization must ask is, “Whom do they serve?” We use the word “serve” specifically because it creates the mindset of service as opposed to asking, “Who do we sell to?” or “Who is in our market?” Whenever I work with clients whose business has leveled off or hit a plateau, I always start with some variation of that same question. In answering the question of whom they serve, they renew the line of thought creating the guidelines for their organization or business.
The sense of mission also implies the entire organization is engaged to effectively complete the mission. Leaders must be able to effectively communicate the mission to their teams and herein lies part of the challenge – they may not know how or they overestimate their ability to do so. A recent survey by Developmental Dimensions International and published in the Wall Street Journal suggests managers struggle with the necessary skills necessary to execute a sense of organizational mission. Of the 1,100 respondents, only 36% felt they were strong in coaching their teams while only 34% felt they were strong in gaining commitment from their teams. Lastly only 32% mentioned delegating as their strength. These types of blind spots can cause an organization’s leaders to lose their way. Leaders cannot accomplish the mission alone and thus must be able to not only communicate the goals of the team but also the purpose as well. The goals address what needs to be done, the purpose addresses why the goal is important to the organization.
What separates the great leaders from everyone else is their sense of mission and the personal accountability they have to the mission and those they serve. As we head into the holidays and time for reflection, what mission will you choose to accept?
Lead Well!
Many of you recognize this line from the Television series or movie (or both depending on your generation) called Mission: Impossible. I recently had the privilege of delivering the Keynote Address to a group of military veterans at a career transition event the day after Veterans Day. The theme of mission is one our military veterans clearly understand so I and the other speakers leveraged the same theme throughout the event. It also provides the theme for this issue as we head into the holiday season.
Last month, we talked about information overload and its impact on a leader’s ability to make knowledgeable decisions. I would submit having a clear sense of mission is just as important to making meaningful decisions as it creates the tangible importance of making the decision to begin with. When a leader loses the understanding of importance, the overall mission begins to falter. We see organizations in many corners of our environment that have lost their sense of mission. In recent years we have seen examples of government, financial, religious and educational institutions with documented lapses in their sense of mission.
So how do leaders renew their sense of mission? They must first ask themselves why do they exist. Corporations, Entrepreneurial ventures and Not-For-Profits all exist for a defined purpose. The second question every organization must ask is, “Whom do they serve?” We use the word “serve” specifically because it creates the mindset of service as opposed to asking, “Who do we sell to?” or “Who is in our market?” Whenever I work with clients whose business has leveled off or hit a plateau, I always start with some variation of that same question. In answering the question of whom they serve, they renew the line of thought creating the guidelines for their organization or business.
The sense of mission also implies the entire organization is engaged to effectively complete the mission. Leaders must be able to effectively communicate the mission to their teams and herein lies part of the challenge – they may not know how or they overestimate their ability to do so. A recent survey by Developmental Dimensions International and published in the Wall Street Journal suggests managers struggle with the necessary skills necessary to execute a sense of organizational mission. Of the 1,100 respondents, only 36% felt they were strong in coaching their teams while only 34% felt they were strong in gaining commitment from their teams. Lastly only 32% mentioned delegating as their strength. These types of blind spots can cause an organization’s leaders to lose their way. Leaders cannot accomplish the mission alone and thus must be able to not only communicate the goals of the team but also the purpose as well. The goals address what needs to be done, the purpose addresses why the goal is important to the organization.
What separates the great leaders from everyone else is their sense of mission and the personal accountability they have to the mission and those they serve. As we head into the holidays and time for reflection, what mission will you choose to accept?
Lead Well!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Leadership Lessons…
…From Running Triathlons.
Several weeks ago I ran a Sprint Triathlon in our hometown, something I’ve done for the last four years. However, what made this year special is I ran it with my youngest son who was running the race for the first time. Since it was his first race and our plan was to run it together, our motto for the race became “Start Steady, Finish Strong”. Undoubtedly, most of you reading this have heard of the famous Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. The Sprint Triathlon is the shortest of the four official distances but still involves the same three events – swimming, biking and running in that order. So as I reflected on the race, it occurred to me the parallels between training and running triathlons with the leadership coaching I do as part of my practice.
When I first began competing in triathlons, I viewed them as separate events in which to train. I was a competitive swimmer and runner in both high school and college so it was natural for me to train in each event as I had before. This is no different when we find ourselves approaching new professional and personal challenges by relying on the skills and knowledge we developed from our past. Even when we set goals for ourselves to improve in an individual endeavor, it is still the past that governs our execution unless we consciously make a change. And as I realized my training regimen wasn’t enough, I needed to make a change - in my attitude regarding the race itself!
I had to change my mental approach to the race to ultimately achieve my goal. I actually made two changes. First, I changed my mental approach to the race from three individual events back-to-back-to-back to one race with five aligned competitive pieces. I say five because the transitions between events are really mini-events in and by themselves as the clock continues to tick during the swim-bike and bike-run transitions. Secondly, I realized I could not do this solely based on my own experience. I reached out to accomplished tri-athletes and read blogs from others who were also trying to optimize their triathlon experience. These two changes helped me align my actions to accomplish my overall goal.
So what does this have to do with leadership? How much are we relying on the experiences of the past to deal with today’s challenges? Are we going about change alone or are we reaching out to others to help us develop new leadership attitudes? Is our business a series of disparate, misaligned goals preventing us from achieving our ultimate objective? These are questions all leaders should regularly ask themselves.
I recently read a quote from Fred Lebow, founder of the New York City Marathon, a race I’ve run twice who said, “In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack or last. You can say ‘I have finished’. There is a lot of satisfaction in that”. As my son and I completed the triathlon, I had no idea where in the pack we finished but I do know we Started Steady and we definitely Finished Strong! Are your goals aligned for a strong finish?
Lead Well!
Rick Lochner
Several weeks ago I ran a Sprint Triathlon in our hometown, something I’ve done for the last four years. However, what made this year special is I ran it with my youngest son who was running the race for the first time. Since it was his first race and our plan was to run it together, our motto for the race became “Start Steady, Finish Strong”. Undoubtedly, most of you reading this have heard of the famous Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. The Sprint Triathlon is the shortest of the four official distances but still involves the same three events – swimming, biking and running in that order. So as I reflected on the race, it occurred to me the parallels between training and running triathlons with the leadership coaching I do as part of my practice.
When I first began competing in triathlons, I viewed them as separate events in which to train. I was a competitive swimmer and runner in both high school and college so it was natural for me to train in each event as I had before. This is no different when we find ourselves approaching new professional and personal challenges by relying on the skills and knowledge we developed from our past. Even when we set goals for ourselves to improve in an individual endeavor, it is still the past that governs our execution unless we consciously make a change. And as I realized my training regimen wasn’t enough, I needed to make a change - in my attitude regarding the race itself!
I had to change my mental approach to the race to ultimately achieve my goal. I actually made two changes. First, I changed my mental approach to the race from three individual events back-to-back-to-back to one race with five aligned competitive pieces. I say five because the transitions between events are really mini-events in and by themselves as the clock continues to tick during the swim-bike and bike-run transitions. Secondly, I realized I could not do this solely based on my own experience. I reached out to accomplished tri-athletes and read blogs from others who were also trying to optimize their triathlon experience. These two changes helped me align my actions to accomplish my overall goal.
So what does this have to do with leadership? How much are we relying on the experiences of the past to deal with today’s challenges? Are we going about change alone or are we reaching out to others to help us develop new leadership attitudes? Is our business a series of disparate, misaligned goals preventing us from achieving our ultimate objective? These are questions all leaders should regularly ask themselves.
I recently read a quote from Fred Lebow, founder of the New York City Marathon, a race I’ve run twice who said, “In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack or last. You can say ‘I have finished’. There is a lot of satisfaction in that”. As my son and I completed the triathlon, I had no idea where in the pack we finished but I do know we Started Steady and we definitely Finished Strong! Are your goals aligned for a strong finish?
Lead Well!
Rick Lochner
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
We Can Learn a Lot about Purpose Driven Leadership…
From the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.
Now this may seem like a strange way for me to discuss leadership as those who know me know I am a lifelong Colts fan. However, I did spend half my military career in Louisiana and Mississippi only hours from New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is during these times we came to appreciate the food, music and culture of the city. I do know what it feels like to have to evacuate in front of an oncoming hurricane and if nothing else, Sean Payton, the Saints coach is from our hometown of Naperville, IL. So it is with some attachment I use their recent Super Bowl victory as a backdrop for Purpose Driven Leadership.
Purpose Driven Leadership supposes, in spite of all the talk of the recession, jobs, expenses and profits, people want more. This translates through the organization’s Vision and Values. Organizations (public, private and non-profit alike) who have a clear Vision of what they want to become have a distinct and clear advantage over their competitors over the long haul, especially when dealing with change. These same organizations have and live a set of Values embraced by all in the organization and reinforced daily by their leadership. The Saints had a purpose that transcended what happened on the football field earlier this month. They played to not only win the Super Bowl but to provide a sense of higher belief in a home city still rebuilding both physically and culturally. What makes the ideal even more important in my mind is by staying true to their purpose, leaders must take risks to achieve the desired results. The Saints certainly made that point clear with several risky plays including the now famous on-side kick to begin the second half of the game.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear from another member of a Super Bowl team, Jim Covert from the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his speech on leadership he highlighted the idea of Values. As the President and CEO of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine he sees his purpose as creating fundamental and sustainable change through leadership. In doing so, he identified three Values he uses to achieve his Purpose:
➢ Honesty and Integrity – Lead By Example
➢ Set Expectations – Use Effective Goal Setting
➢ Accountability – For You and Those Around You
A story he relayed was of Mike Ditka, the Bears coach at the time, setting a goal to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1983 training camp. What stood out is he also said half of the assembled players would likely not be there, which turned out to be true two years later when they did win the Super Bowl.
So what is the Purpose of your team and is everyone on board to help you win your Super Bowl?
Lead Well.
Now this may seem like a strange way for me to discuss leadership as those who know me know I am a lifelong Colts fan. However, I did spend half my military career in Louisiana and Mississippi only hours from New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is during these times we came to appreciate the food, music and culture of the city. I do know what it feels like to have to evacuate in front of an oncoming hurricane and if nothing else, Sean Payton, the Saints coach is from our hometown of Naperville, IL. So it is with some attachment I use their recent Super Bowl victory as a backdrop for Purpose Driven Leadership.
Purpose Driven Leadership supposes, in spite of all the talk of the recession, jobs, expenses and profits, people want more. This translates through the organization’s Vision and Values. Organizations (public, private and non-profit alike) who have a clear Vision of what they want to become have a distinct and clear advantage over their competitors over the long haul, especially when dealing with change. These same organizations have and live a set of Values embraced by all in the organization and reinforced daily by their leadership. The Saints had a purpose that transcended what happened on the football field earlier this month. They played to not only win the Super Bowl but to provide a sense of higher belief in a home city still rebuilding both physically and culturally. What makes the ideal even more important in my mind is by staying true to their purpose, leaders must take risks to achieve the desired results. The Saints certainly made that point clear with several risky plays including the now famous on-side kick to begin the second half of the game.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear from another member of a Super Bowl team, Jim Covert from the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his speech on leadership he highlighted the idea of Values. As the President and CEO of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine he sees his purpose as creating fundamental and sustainable change through leadership. In doing so, he identified three Values he uses to achieve his Purpose:
➢ Honesty and Integrity – Lead By Example
➢ Set Expectations – Use Effective Goal Setting
➢ Accountability – For You and Those Around You
A story he relayed was of Mike Ditka, the Bears coach at the time, setting a goal to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1983 training camp. What stood out is he also said half of the assembled players would likely not be there, which turned out to be true two years later when they did win the Super Bowl.
So what is the Purpose of your team and is everyone on board to help you win your Super Bowl?
Lead Well.
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