No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE | NO FEES, NO PAYWALLS
MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION
NEWSLETTER
Corporate Compliance Insights
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Corporate Compliance Insights

10 Lessons Clients Taught Me in 2016

by Linda Henman
December 23, 2016
in Uncategorized
key takeaways for leaders

Each year I aspire to teach my clients lessons that will help them improve their personal and professional lives and their businesses. But what many of them probably don’t realize is that I simultaneously learn as I teach. And even though I’ve been consulting for more than 35 years, each year and each client has a new lesson to teach. Here are my top 10 for 2016:

1. We’re all sales people.

Most of my clients hire BD (business development) specialists to help them drive their businesses, but my most successful clients also realize that every person needs to play a role in developing business. Engineers, scientists and other technical specialists tend to resist this reality, primarily because they don’t understand the dynamics of selling and the importance of their role in closing business.

2. Committees don’t lead.

Organizational judgment will never trump effective leadership.

Yet, every year I meet a new “leadership team” that insists they can continue to run their business by committee. I have never seen it work, but the people I meet simply don’t believe that the buck must stop someplace — with one person we call the leader.

3. Non-financial managers need to know finance.

Recently I asked an ambitious, high-potential candidate about her financial acumen. She assured me she had handled a budget. I then asked if she had had P&L (profit and loss) responsibility. She said she didn’t know what that meant. More investigating led me to conclude the company had been woefully negligent in introducing young leaders to the financial aspects of running a business. She’s on the right track for promotion now, but others often don’t figure out why they have been passed over for promotion until it’s too late.

4. You end up with the culture you deserve.

“Culture” continues to dominate many organizational improvement discussions. In fact, it has become a conversational shuttlecock that leaders bat around in an attempt to understand and change it. You can’t measure culture the way you check chlorine levels in a swimming pool. Instead, you observe culture in its subtle forms — things that work and things that don’t work. But only when leaders have the courage to make the tough, often unpopular calls does innovation take root.

5. Fear is the enemy of fortitude.

When individuals behave badly, my first question is, “What’s he/she afraid of?” Typically, fears come in three varieties: fear of rejection, fear of criticism and fear of loss of control. In a fear-driven culture, you’ll find analysis paralysis, settling on mediocre talent, an unclear vision and unwillingness to celebrate success.

6. Bold leaders tolerate ambiguity.

This year one of my best clients saw the benefits of tolerating ambiguity when leaders hired a star performer who didn’t have a clear job description. They had known this man previously, and his reputation preceded him with clients, vendors and subcontractors. In short, he’s brilliant, and when they turned over major decisions to him, the lights in the room started to flicker from his intellectual horsepower. There never was anything vague about his talent, only about his job title.

7. Likability costs nothing but pays handsomely.

Even though I’ve coached hundreds of senior leaders for thousands of hours, I have never said these words: “You have to be more likable,” but I did this year. George is a star by any measure, and he’s incredibly smart, but he was unresponsive in his interactions, didn’t listen well and lorded his smarts over others. Once he understood how others perceived him, he made the decision to be more likable. People always respected him, but now they find him more enjoyable to work with.

8. Not everyone with a coin to toss qualifies as a leader.

Sometimes our reasoning processes entrap us in patterns of behavior we hate but cannot seem to change. Too often these traps, based on unexamined beliefs and fears, become self-sealing, self-perpetuating and self-sabotaging; and our best efforts to escape them merely tighten their grip.  Conversely, when companies have exceptional decision-makers and then create an environment where these decision-makers can make their best tough calls, both individually and collectively, leaders position the organization for effective organizational judgment and change.

9. Don’t major in the minors.

Companies don’t grow and improve with a strategy to do things they do reasonably well most of the time. They create a competitive advantage when they determine what things they can do better than anyone else most of the time. The latter kind of company figures out a better way to think about the future — a way to veer away from policies and procedures to think about the direction the company should take to distinguish itself from the competition.

10. Change aversion remains the Le Brea Tar Pit of good intentions.

Author Oren Harai pointed out, “The light bulb was not invented by the continuous improvement of a candle.” Through the years, I have been an evangelist for constant and continuous improvement, but this year taught me that’s not enough. The clients who ended 2016 better off than they began it rejected the status quo. They realized Peter Drucker was right when he said, “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”

In general, the clients that did not enjoy the success they had anticipated felt trapped. But no oppressive regime or imposed organizational structure trapped them. In several cases, they felt like victims, but, in fact, their own behavior and decisions enslaved them. Those who realize the role they have played in their lack of success will take the critical first steps to making 2017 a better year.


Previous Post

SCOTUS Decides Highly-Anticipated Insider Trading Case

Next Post

The Psychology of Corruption

Linda Henman

Linda Henman

Dr. Linda Henman is one of those rare experts who can say she’s a coach, consultant, speaker, and author. For more than 30 years, she has worked with Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses that want to think strategically, grow dramatically, promote intelligently, and compete successfully today and tomorrow. Some of her clients include Emerson Electric, Boeing, Avon and Tyson Foods. She was one of eight experts who worked directly with John Tyson after his company’s acquisition of International Beef Products, one of the most successful acquisitions of the twentieth century. Linda holds a Ph.D. in organizational systems and two Master of Arts degrees in both interpersonal communication and organization development and a Bachelor of Science degree in communication. Whether coaching executives or members of the board, Linda offers clients coaching and consulting solutions that are pragmatic in their approach and sound in their foundation—all designed to create exceptional organizations. She is the author of Landing in the Executive Chair: How to Excel in the Hot Seat, The Magnetic Boss: How to Become the Leader No One Wants to Leave, and contributing editor and author to Small Group Communication, among other works. Dr. Henman can be reached at linda@henmanperformancegroup.com.

Related Posts

Phaxis 100 dollars

AML & KYC: Addressing Key Challenges for 2023 and Beyond

by Alex Roberto
March 16, 2023

(Sponsored) In today’s world, financial criminals are often a step ahead of regulators and financial institutions who struggle to effectively...

audit

IIA Survey: Technology Issues Widening Risk Landscape

by Staff and Wire Reports
March 15, 2023

The past year has seen internal audit staffing and budgets continue their recovery to pre-pandemic levels as organizations contend with...

Paul Weiss Economic Sanctions and AML Developments 2022_f

Economic Sanctions and AML Developments

by Corporate Compliance Insights
March 15, 2023

Sanctions start high and stay high 2022 Year in Review Economic Sanctions and AML Developments What’s in this report from...

insider fraud threat

As Layoffs Continue, the Potential for Insider Fraud Is Growing. Are You Ready?

by Chris Gerda
March 15, 2023

From startups to big banks, the technology and financial services sector have already seen tens of thousands of layoffs in...

Next Post
The drivers behind bribery and corruption

The Psychology of Corruption

Compliance Job Interview Q&A

Jump to a Topic

AML Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automation Banking Board of Directors Board Risk Oversight Business Continuity Planning California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Code of Conduct Communications Management Corporate Culture COVID-19 Cryptocurrency Culture of Ethics Cybercrime Cyber Risk Data Analytics Data Breach Data Governance DOJ Download Due Diligence Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) ESG FCPA Enforcement Actions Financial Crime Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) GDPR HIPAA Know Your Customer (KYC) Machine Learning Monitoring RegTech Reputation Risk Risk Assessment SEC Social Media Risk Supply Chain Technology Third Party Risk Management Tone at the Top Training Whistleblowing
No Result
View All Result

Privacy Policy

Founded in 2010, CCI is the web’s premier global independent news source for compliance, ethics, risk and information security. 

Got a news tip? Get in touch. Want a weekly round-up in your inbox? Sign up for free. No subscription fees, no paywalls. 

Follow Us

Browse Topics:

  • CCI Press
  • Compliance
  • Compliance Podcasts
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Privacy
  • eBooks Published by CCI
  • Ethics
  • FCPA
  • Featured
  • Financial Services
  • Fraud
  • Governance
  • GRC Vendor News
  • HR Compliance
  • Internal Audit
  • Leadership and Career
  • On Demand Webinars
  • Opinion
  • Resource Library
  • Risk
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Well-Being
  • Whitepapers

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • About CCI
    • Writing for CCI
    • NEW: CCI Press – Book Publishing
    • Advertise With Us
  • Explore Topics
    • See All Articles
    • Compliance
    • Ethics
    • Risk
    • FCPA
    • Governance
    • Fraud
    • Internal Audit
    • HR Compliance
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Privacy
    • Financial Services
    • Well-Being at Work
    • Leadership and Career
    • Opinion
  • Vendor News
  • Career Connection
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Library
    • Whitepapers & Reports
    • eBooks
    • CCI Press & Compliance Bookshelf
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Corporate Compliance Insights

Welcome to CCI. This site uses cookies. Please click OK to accept. Privacy Policy
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT