Sharpton's rousing & incisively rational sermon today reminded me of Mayo's 2017 HBR article. Weirdly prescient, it speaks to COVID19, predicting that the pain of leadership choices will be felt in a crisis! We all feel the mortal hurt of misplaced trust. OK, Sharpton is a leader. But he is no "humble" one as lauded by Mayo. Helpfully, she separates good from bad charismatics: those using their power for collective ends and those serving-self-solely. So, Sharpton is a "socialised charismatic". FINE, SO? Well, Mayo says that we often promote narcissists above humble leaders or socialised charismatics at work and the ballot box! As Hitler and Saddam showed, that can be horribly expensive for everyone. Mayo worried that a "romance of leadership" may be at play. HORROR! We all know what affairs of the heart do to rational minds! Perhaps that's why narcissists have cult-like followers despite overwhelming rational evidence of their harm to all. After all, love sometimes crazily grows when spiced by hurt. It is never easy to wrestle victims of Stockholm Syndrome from the mental grip of their captor!
Profiting From a Better Society
RED ALERT: AUDITORS, CORPORATES, RELIEF CHARITIES & IGOs: face elevated COVID Related Risks
Managers vs Leaders: the Limits to Board Effectiveness on Corporate Strategy?
An interesting short read on what makes a useful independent non-executive director. Thanks to Soula Proxenos for pointing out! It highlights the importance of the Board's contribution to #strategy: "...Effective Boards spend up to [12] days a year on strategy, compared with just [4] for low impact Boards which adds to the non-executive’s time commitment. These factors will result in the executive team genuinely valuing the contribution of the NEDs and being more willing to engage effectively with the Board..." I am not sure of the evidence base for "12 days". My experience tells me that, for Board contribution to strategy, #quality counts far more than quantity! The #boardofdirectors can give valuable shape and polish to a competent strategy process led by the executive. That requires visionary, principled and stakeholder-goal-congruent #leadership in the executive. Given an executive that is afflicted by " #managers" who can only administer and are absorbed with short term self-interest, the best Board in the world would be hard pressed to be effective!
The Inconveniently Independent Non-Executive Director (INED)
A nugget of a 2018 article. Reminds us of the old drive for INEDs in the Global North: "...boards were...mere extensions of management, a kind of...business celebrity cheerleaders..." In parts of the Global South, the "cheerleading" view still prevails; perhaps due to cultures that hail "the chief" with disdain for "checks and balances". So, overconcentration of corporate power may be relatively unchecked. Mind you, Northern INEDs have had a hard time: "...when the shit hits the fan, [INEDs] are expected to move into high gear, forming special committees that essentially take control of the investigation while conflicted board members recuse themselves... " This is familiar to the unpopular, principled, INED on a Southern Board. When "cheerleading" is loudest, s/he is derided. When predictable trouble emerges, s/he has to salvage his reputation. Bottom line: a principled, competent and experienced, INED is worth his weight in gold to a discerning, stakeholder-serving board. I should know: I hired one for my start-up Board: a valuable "headache"!!