The work environment is the field in which the collective passion of the business takes root and grows.
People experience the work environment or culture in a good way or bad way.
There is an old Yiddish proverb that applies to every organisational leader: "The fish always stinks at the head."
The leader with CEO Disease doesn't know the smell that he or she is spreading throughout the organisation. The personally coached business leader discovers what smell he or she is spreading across the business culture and works to make it a productive and positive scent. This scent has a dramatic impact on organisational performance and success.
According to research conducted by John Kotter and James Heskett (Corporate Culture and Performance), when strong culture firms are focused on the right values, they radically outperform their competitors.
Numerous studies indicate that sustainable business success depends on three key leadership areas:
- The greater good. Leaders must influence others to join a cause greater than making a profit or creating good products or services. They should give employees reasons to believe in the company and its leadership ideals. They must establish themselves as credible, trustworthy and unselfish—role models who are looking out for the team and individual performers. They should ask others to join "us", without sacrificing their "me."
- Clear vision. Continual change may be traumatic for employees, so leaders must paint a convincing picture of the future that motivates and prepares people for what's coming.
- Cohesive culture. Employees expect their leaders to read a situation in emotional terms and foster a climate of collaboration.
Each of these leadership roles requires emotional awareness and, most importantly, the ability to express appropriate feelings effectively.
Reference: Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, Richard E. Boyatzis: Primal Leadership: Realize the power of emotional intelligence in becoming an effective leader.
