BizBook Nuggets

The Ethical Executive: 45 Psychological Traps

The Ethical Executive: Becoming Aware of the Root Causes of Unethical Behavior: 45 Psychological Traps that Every One of Us Falls Prey To by Robert Hoyk and Paul Hersey, Stanford Business Press, 2008.

This is one book worth reading, for anyone in an organization faced with ethical choices everyday.

Even with a solid foundation of good moral values, no one is immune to making unethical choices.

Ethical slips and traps are rampant, from telling white lies that protect a friend, to ignoring a gut feeling and following orders when we know better.

Not a month goes by without some highly publicized ethical scandal. Be it tax evasion, executive pay excesses, sexual dalliances and outright fraud, many individuals are simply unable to resist temptation. 

Does this make the perpetrators corrupt sociopaths?

Goldsmith: What Got You Here Reviewed Briefly

If you are an executive coach or a consultant, you're familiar with the books, articles, and prolific work of Marshall Goldsmith. And there's a reason. In my view, he is quickly becoming this century's leadership development expert, with a stature reminiscent of Peter Drucker.

But I gush. If you've heard Goldsmith present at a conference, you'll recognize some of his stories and humor in his books. He is down-to-earth, funny, clear and authentic. I won't go on and on; this is after all a blog post, so here's my point:

Buy and read Goldsmith's latest book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There (Hyperion, 2007).

It doesn't matter if you work in a different field or you're not an executive. If you have a pulse, you will recognize yourself as participating in at least one of his "20 Habits That Hold You Back from the Top (p. 40)."

Goldsmith has an uncanny ability to recognize the challenges of interpersonal behavior, often leadership behavior. They are egregious everyday annoyances, that on the surface, appear to be normal; some of them even contribute to our success in getting ahead. But in the long run, they make the workplace more noxious than it needs to be.

And these bad habits, at higher levels of responsibility, will actually deter us from having continued success.

If you want to learn more about these bad habits and what you can do about them, order the book today on Amazon. I'm making it easy for you to order by including the link here, yes, right here; and yes, it includes my affiliate link so that I can profit greatly, at least a few pennies. But you will be far, far richer after reading the book and applying a few steps.

P.S. If you are working in the field of executive coaching or consulting and need material for your ezine, you can purchase an article based on Goldsmith's principles of coaching and other research about bad bosses here from www.CustomizedNewsletterArticles.com:
Good Boss, Bad Boss: 20 Bad Habits Leaders Should Stop Doing Now.

Leadership by Persuasion

I've been intrigued by the concept of leading by persuasion for a while. How do you get someone to join you in a project or change effort when you have no formal authority over them? And even when you do have authority, you may be hesitant to use it. Many people don't respond well to authoritative pressure.

My research took me to a Harvard Business Essentials book called Power, Influence, and Persuasion, Sell Your Ideas and Make Things Happen. This little guide is extremely valuable for any leader or manager.

So I wrote a 1800-word article called Leadership by Persuation, and am making it available as a newsletter topic. Please visit www.customizednewsletters.com to read a synopsis. The article is available for use in your own newsletters, either as is, or you can modify it and add your own stuff.

You can order a shorter version, 900 words, or a nugget, 600 words, with the main ideas summarized. This makes an excellent base for a newsletter where you can add your own experiences and personalize it for your own coaching/consulting clients and readers.

Let me know how I can help you create valuable content for your newsletters and blogs. Send me an email.

The Case for Clarity...

According to Marcus Buckingham, the one thing great leaders have, above all else, is clarity. Leadership integrity, passion, vision, and optimism may be important, but above all else, the leader must be clear about four elements for the future:

1. Who do you serve?
2. What are your core strengths?
3. What is the core score to be measured?
4. What actions, both symbolic and systematic, will create the future?

This is the topic for July newsletters over at www.customizednewsletters.
If you aren't familiar with newsletter services, they can provide both article content, PDF formatting, and HTML files customized with your business name and logo.

To read a synopsis of this particular newsletter article, please visit
www.customizednewsletters.com/featured/index.html.

These ideas and concepts are attributed to Marcus Buckingham, author of The One Thing You Need to Know:…About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success (Free Press, 2005). Buckingham is co-author of two best-selling books: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (coauthored with Curt Coffman) and Now, Discover Your Strengths (coauthored with Donald O. Clifton). He is a leading authority on employee productivity and the practices of leading and managing.