Bruce Cotterill
these changes carry on through to the medical centres, the sports fields or rehearsal halls, and the workplaces. Health workers need retraining; little league sports coaches are now subject to police checks; movie directors are being closely watched; and in the business environment, the role of the people managing other people is in the spotlight as never before.
For those of us in leadership or management roles, we need to double down on awareness.
Whatever we used to do is no longer acceptable.
It does not matter whether you are running a sports club, or a bank, you will be required to respond to the complaints, concerns and accusations of your members, their parents, your staff or your customers.
And unlike your probable reaction just a few short years ago, how you respond will be recorded and considered, and opinions on your stewardship formed. When it comes to the business environment, the downstream effect of these swift transformations is that we now see chief executives in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
In this country alone, we have seen government department heads under review, or apologising and sometimes departing in quick succession.
Bank chiefs on both sides of the Tasman are being grilled.
Iconic corporate titans from around the world are experiencing equally iconic downfalls. And all because they did something wrong that would once have gone unnoticed, or they didn’t respond appropriately to someone who was not happy.
In many cases, the aforementioned chief executive has resigned or been let go, because their reaction to their newfound circumstance was not appropriate.
In a lot of ways, being a chief executive is a privileged position.
You get to lead your organisation. You set the strategy you want and surround yourself with the team of people you want to work with. You get to do the things that you think are valuable to the organisation, or maybe just the things that suit your whims. You don’t have to suffer others telling you what to do. You call the shots. However, there is a downside. The chief executive role usually comes with a huge demand on your time, to the extent that the job occupies your mind and your body for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sleepless nights worrying about your people are normal.
You don’t see the family as much as you’d like. You miss the children’s swimming sports or the ballet recital, and all because of a meeting that won’t matter in six months’ time.
Early starts. Late finishes. The exchange rate. Damaged goods. Unhappy customers. Eventually, it all finds its way to you. In a nutshell, it is an attractive life. But it is not for the faint-hearted.
The new normal, with its overlay of rapid societal change is making the already difficult job of being a leader, even harder.