The Most Dangerous Executive Illness in Troubled Times
The Most Dangerous Executive Illness in Troubled Times
VIM Executive Coaching is dynamic and not staid. Though we will reflect on ancient leadership philosophies as well as more modern, we are a part of this world, and not apart from it. Though we try to maintain an evergreen philosophy in regard to our posts, i.e., that they will be as relevant in a year or more as today, we cannot disregard the COVID-19 pandemic and what it has wrought to organizations in every quarter of our country.
How Dangerous is the Danger?
Last week, an executive leader (a new client) confided on a conference call that he is terrified of catching the virus. We can empathize, of course. The thought of contracting any illness is not a particularly joyous thought. But then he launched into a “dissertation” that was somewhat disturbing.
“Despite what I feel, I will not abide with anyone on my staff using the corona virus as an excuse for slacking or for doing any work that is less than excellent. I will not accept complaints about people having to walk their dogs or being late with a report because they had to take out the recycle bin!”
He did not mean it as a joke. It got us to thinking about the true dangers in our time, and what is infinitely more contagious than a viral particle.
In this time, there seems to be a disturbing divergence in many executive “suites.” Those that understand and embrace kindness and those who run from compassion as though it was a near-fatal symptom. The loss of compassion in troubled times is infinitely more dangerous than a virus.
The biggest danger in these trying times is in not caring, not reflecting, and in not responding to the concerns of others.
How Did We Get Here?
We well understand that Americans are an independent, hard-charging, and never-say-die people. It is part of our psyche and our DNA, if you will. When we, as a nation, will ourselves to come together, great things happen. We may bicker and fight, that is true, but by and large, when we put aside our differences and work toward a goal, we are unstoppable.
However, all of the qualities we just mentioned require the ability to listen to one another, to elevate one another and to respond to the other. Therefore, if the CEO or COO of an organization, or indeed any executive below them, fails to exhibit the smallest degree of compassion for their people, chances are the organization will fail to achieve its full greatness. In the hard-charging vision of the American temperament, most will agree that it wasn’t simply hard-charging that won the day, but compassion.
During the Great Depression for example, Americans never lost their charity. After WWII, Americans went overboard to supply the world with aid – even those we defeated. We are hardly a perfect society, but we try. We try because most of us are compassionate. We want this to be a better place and we want our organizations to be environments of respect and understanding.
Going back to the executive who could not see that the fears and concerns of the virus affected his team, I saw in him an essential lack of authenticity. He recognized the fears in himself, but could not allow a response that saw those fears in others. That is a serious flaw in the realm of mindfulness. The best executive leaders are mindful executive leaders; to recognize in others what we know to be true about ourselves. Without that ability, we are reactive and hard-charge our companies right off the rails.
There will be treatments to mitigate the virus, and there will be a vaccine (most probably several) to neutralize it. However, there is nothing to replace compassion save for authenticity. Unless the executive leader is committed to authenticity, his or her lack of compassion will ultimately doom them – and their organizations to a hopeless outcome.
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