Clearly, selecting the right leader is incredibly important for an organisation, and doing so can sometimes feel like weathering a heavy
storm on open seas without a compass.
So if I can at least offer a compass, that might be the first step in offering some security and clarity in making this all-important
decision.
A significant portion of my work is undertaken at senior executive level. In these forums, I have worked with Board Directors, CEOs, school
principals and senior leadership teams. Some extremely wealthy multi nationals are represented alongside some of the smallest and most under
resourced small business.
Over many years and many, many board room and executive discussions, I’ve seen patterns emerge. In particular, I’ve observed one approach to
these discussions that separates the productive from the unproductive. That difference is the use of open versus closed questions.
A culture of responsibility is one of learned aptitude. When leaders and their employees take responsibility, they prove to others and to
themselves that they are capable; that obstacles can be overcome, and that actions lead to results. Conversely, a culture of entitlement is one of learned helplessness. Entitlement is the belief that you are owed something,
and that when you do not receive what you are supposedly owed, it is a failing of your leaders.
A culture of entitlement is a toxic one, because it teaches its members that complaining is the extent of their available responses to
challenge and adversity.