Lessons in Leadership – Another One Bites the Dust – Never Believe Your Press Release

Over the last week we read how the CEO of HP, Mark Hurd, lost his job over expense report irregularities’. While I will not question, at this time, HP’s Boards decision to ask Mr. Hurd to resign, I do want to examine how Mr. Hurd put himself in this position in the first place.

When I was promoted to Senior Executive Vice President and a Member of the Office of the Chairman at USLIFE (NYSE), the ink was not yet dry on my press release when I got my first “in your face” lesson in leadership and good judgment from my best friend Tim Sullivan.Tim was our CFO and a big man in body (6’ 6″) and in his loyalty to me and USLIFE. Tim walked into my office, closed the door and proceeded to pick me up and pin me to the wall and said “Congratulations on your promotion but don’t ever believe your press release and do something stupid! You’re our leader and we are all depending on you.” 

 What Tim was telling me was that my actions right or wrong would not only effect our business but the careers and lives of the employees who made up my team. Tim as saying “you need to be  our coach, our mentor and our leader.”

At that moment, I realized that if I was going  to be successful in boosting profitability and company results, I needed a team who would trust me and I had to earn that trust everyday! I always knew this but now understood the critical importance of putting my beliefs into consistent actions.

A press release is an announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press. If it is about a promotion or other good news, the goal is to create buzz and paint the best picture possible. Sometimes certain issues are expanded upon a bit beyond reality to get the readers attention.

Many former business leaders believed their press releases beyond the facts of their role and concluded that they were “above it all” and could take certain liberties without question –

• Mr. Hurd at HP and how he described certain expenses he incurred
• Mr.Kozlowski of TYCO who thought nothing of spending $6,000 for a shower curtain – he is currently a resident at a government run facility
• Or, former Bear Stearns CEO Jim Cayne who played bridge while the company collapsed

I have found that when you are in a leadership position in either the corporate world or in a small to mid-sized business, you have to “act” like a leader besides being called one. You need to hold yourself to higher expectations than the ones you hold your team accountable to meet. Why? Because the most important tool a leader has is the trust and respect he” earns” among his team. A leader develops these tools through their actions and deeds as well as their words.The smallest indiscretion can be devastating to his or her ability to lead.

Some mis-guided so called leaders think that because of their lofty status they are entitled to “extra’s”. Nothing can be further from the truth or reality. This type of thinking (and unfortunately actions) causes damage to careers, the company that employs them and the trust followers place in their leaders.

When you think you are entitled to extras, you get into trouble. Let me say that again – “when you think you are entitled to extras, you get into trouble.” That’s what Tim was telling me in the best way he could – directly and in my face. I am forever grateful for his lesson. It is one of the concepts that has become the basis of my executive coaching approach. Think about. Want to know more visit www.thecoachszone.com.

Tags: boosting team performance, building and earning team trust, building trust with your team, CEO trust, executive coach, executive coaching, Leadership, leadership business management coaching, leadership coaching, leadership keynote speaker