Anders Ling (andersling@compassconsulting.ae) is Managing Director at Compass Consulting, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In this article, the author, Anders Ling, explains how an organization can change its culture to create a purpose-driven and values-based organization. In the first two parts, he looked at the foundation of a purpose-driven and values-based organization, which consists of alignment of goals and objectives between the individuals, and the fundamental building blocks resulting in stronger corporate culture—integrity, courage, fairness, and honesty, which, when consistently applied, will turn into respect, loyalty, and trust. Another important lesson is thinking of yourself as a part of a team where “we” is bigger than “me.”
For the greater good
When “we” is more important than “me,” we further change our behavior—we start to help and care for others. Rather than being a bystander only watching someone struggling to complete something, we will roll up our sleeves and offer to help. Why? Simply put, we succeed and fail as a team. The willingness to help others, to care for coworkers and colleagues, is also known as compassion.
I have experienced senior leaders that are eager to take credit for more than they deserve and equally refute accountability and responsibility for any failure—those who have a remarkable ability to blame someone or something else for any failure. They may be highly successful and appreciated by some, but they are not leaders. They will not have the trust or respect (not to be confused with fear) of the people in the organization. The kind of person that takes credit for success but does not hold themselves accountable and responsible for failure is not a leader and will never be able to create a corporate culture that is based on its values and purpose.
On the other hand, a leader that stands by its organization and holds themselves ultimately responsible for any failure will earn the respect of employees and other stakeholders. Equally important, this type of leader usually downplays their role in terms of a success, attributing it to a team effort or recognizing individuals who were key to the success.
