Page 30 - Fearless Leadership

What It Means to Be a Fearless Leader 17

THE ORGANIZATION DOESN’T CHANGE UNTIL
THE LEADERS DO

There is a sequence that must be followed in order to transform an organ-
ization. It is straightforward: leaders must go first. Leadership transforma-
tion is the precursor for organizational change. Leaders must take
accountability for their blind spots, demonstrate how to work in commit-
ted partnerships, and build an environment where people are passionately
focused on the enterprise mission.

Leadership transformation is the precursor to organizational trans-
formation.

As we discussed earlier, changing the organization does not guarantee
a change in behavior. Changing behavior, however, decisively alters the
organization. All eyes are on leaders, and when they change their behav-
ior, everyone notices as they did in the case of Andre, the senior vice pres-
ident of a business unit in a global information services company. After a
powerful session with his senior team, Andre delivered the following
webcast to his employees:

“A year ago I felt very concerned about our ability to effectively exe-
cute our strategic objectives. I had decided that there were not enough
people ‘in the game’—people who were fully committed and ready to
do what it takes to produce our business outcomes. I felt as if I were
the only one who was engaged, and I felt alone.
“I felt our senior team meetings did not lead us to productive action.
We debated, argued, and defended our points of view. Several weeks
ago, we participated in a leadership session with our consulting part-
ners, and I discovered, much to my surprise, that I was not in the game.
Instead, I was in the stands judging and evaluating others rather than
partnering and supporting. My attention was on what others needed
to do or change. What I learned was that leadership starts with me—
what I need to do and change.
“What we need is to be an organization that works in partnership
to capitalize on the diverse talents and contributions of our people.