In episode 12 of Lead the Future, Dr. Vince Molinaro and Ron Carucci discuss how leadership accountability and cross-functional relationships have an impact on an organization’s success. They talk about how organizations need to instill norms and practices into their culture so that leaders are ready to take on increasingly demanding roles with success and confidence. They also emphasize the ripple effect of leaders stepping up and acting fairly with their direct reports, and the detriment of not doing so.
Ron reminds us that honesty is a muscle that requires practice.
“If you want to become more honest, you have to become more honest about your dishonesty. If I were to ask you to document all of your moments of dishonesty over the last 10 days – the data you embellished to your boss, the feedback you withheld, the Starbucks barista you were curt with, the family member you ignored – you would find an absolute pattern among those behaviors and those experiences. You would see that there are certain conditions that bring you to your dishonesty. There’s a need you’re meeting, there’s a narrative that you’ve told yourself that this behavior will meet this need even though it’s not true. And unless you’re true about those narratives, you can’t restrict them into more honest ones.” Ron Carucci
Vince and Ron recognize that natural divisions exist within organizations because people and departments must structure themselves, and that the problem arises when each considers their own area more important than the rest and doesn’t realize that their collaboration is what creates true, lasting value.
“No competitive asset and organization exist within any one single set of walls. Innovation as a competitive differentiator is the byproduct of customer analytics in R&D and marketing. Customer service is the intersection of supply chain logistics, and service. High impact customer impact is the combination of growth, financial analytics and market intelligence. It’s the combination of these functional assets that create a true organizational capability. And you have to see yourself as part of a bigger story. And you have to just start with a conclusion that, apart from those things, I’m useless.”
Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries. He has a thirty year track record helping some of the world’s most influential executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership.
His newest book and passion, To Be Honest: Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice and Purpose, is based on 15 years of research with more than 3200 interviews with leaders around the world. To Be Honest explains how four factors (Clear Identity, Accountability, Governance and Cross-Functional Relationships) affect honesty, justice and purpose within a company. When these factors are absent or ineffective, the organizational conditions compel employees to choose dishonesty and self-interest. But when done well, the organization is 16 times more likely to have people tell the truth, behave fairly, and serve a greater good. publications.
- Under what conditions will people be honest and behave fairly … and under which they won’t
- The root of most deceipt is self-protection, not self-interest
- Failing to give constructive feedback is just as dishonoring as failing to recognize success
- How to keep people motivated and engaged
- Why you need to identify the privileged roles in your organization
- The greatest abuse of power is the abandonment of it
- Identify who you struggle to collaborate with and then who struggles to do so with you (and why)
- Ron’s Book: To Be Honest
- Resource for all leaders: The Accountable Leaders Community
