Page 144 - Fearless Leadership

Changing Your Direction and Taking a Bold Stand 131

authentic, transparent, and human, and not afraid to say, “I made a mis-
take and I apologize for my impact,” people are inspired to give more and
do more.
Everyone knows leaders make mistakes, but when there is no freedom
to discuss them, people cannot recover and move forward. If you want an
organization that is flexible and agile, you must be open, honest, and
authentic in talking about your blind spots and owning your impact on
others. Your courage to move in the direction of your discomfort and talk
openly helps others learn how to turn breakdowns and mistakes into oppor-
tunities to learn and grow.

Choice 4: You Must Have the Courage to Build Committed
Partnerships to Achieve Business Results

The predominant area in which leaders operate backward is by separat-
ing relationships and results. Let’s be clear: the relationships between peo-
ple—their committed partnerships—are what produce business results and
success. Every time people and results are put in two separate buckets, a
false dichotomy is created. Your leadership stand must merge relationships
and results, and it must place an emphasis on people working together as
committed partners.
Two questions determine where you stand:

1. How would you handle an individual who delivers great busi-
ness results but damages people?
2. How would you handle an individual who delivers unaccept-
able business results but has great relationships with people?

Many leaders are tempted to excuse poor behavior in order to save
someone who delivers great business results. When this happens, a mes-
sage is sent to the organization that business results trump how people work
together, but in reality this is not the case. Although you may achieve
short-term gains as your star performer leaves dead bodies in his wake, you
lose long-term business results and the goodwill of people. You also lose
credibility when you do not provide and adhere to consistent behavioral
standards.
If you have a leader who delivers great business results but has a nega-
tive impact on others, there is an option other than tolerating poor behav-