Testing - Part 1

I have a friend whose character is being tested. He has known times of great prosperity and moments of unfortunate loss. He is now working to restore the profitability of this company starting with himself. He is challenging himself to demonstrate better character and leadership skills. It is not easy to change old habits.

Is it a good thing when you are tested?

Every leader gets tested at one point or another. Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, recently ran for governor in California. I have always admired what she did at eBay, but when asked about her candidacy my reply was that she would not be a good governor. Although she made many good decisions at eBay, she was never tested with catastrophe, and that is what California is facing. She did not have the vision or toughness to save our State from disaster. (I am not a Jerry Brown fan either.)

That is not to say that a leader has to demonstrate previous skill in turning around a company to be able to save a company. My point is that today more than ever we need leaders in government and private enterprise who have integrity, a vision and an uncompromising will to do what is right rather than what is popular. Only these intentional leaders will be able to pass the rigorous tests that life throws at every organization.

Part of this testing reveals whether a leader will take shortcuts or invest the time it takes to develop and build an organization based on four company culture cornerstones:

1. Mission with a purpose

2. Non-negotiable values

3. Vision that communicates positive change

4. Accountability for your mission, values and vision

You will be tested often as a leader. Without these four company culture cornerstones firmly in place, how can you make decisions that consistently drive your organization to achieve significance?

Meeting Ideas

TESTING (1 of 2) is a reality in our professional and personal lives. The first part of this discussion is focused on whether you are taking the time to fully develop your character and rules of engagement to do battle in the workplace. If you do not, then your decisions are based on emotion rather than the foundation of a strong company culture.

Here are some ideas to ponder with your team this week about being tested:

1. What are our company culture cornerstones?

   • Mission (with a purpose)

   • Values (non-negotiable)

   • Vision (communicating positive change)

   • Accountability (to make certain everyone is demonstrating and pursuing our mission, values and vision)

2. Name one time in the last month when something has happened that tested you and you made a bad decision that is contrary to your company culture cornerstones. Discuss candidly the process you followed, how it might have been easier to make that decision, and how the people involved in the event felt about the experience afterwards.

3. Name three times in the last month when something has happened that tested you and you made a good decision based on your company culture cornerstones. Discuss candidly the process you followed, how difficult it was to make that decision, and how the people involved in the event felt about the experience afterwards.

4. What is the biggest test you face in the workplace? Why is it so challenging? How can you overcome this test more easily in the future?

5. Discuss what it would be like to work without anything that challenged our company culture cornerstone