Recently I had an interview with Michael Ullmer, Deputy CEO of NAB (National Australia Bank) who explains Responsible Leadership is first and foremost about doing the right thing.

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Sometimes in organisations people get bound up and make things too complicated.  But if you sit down and discuss a particular challenge - forget about the policies and procedures - and ask if you were to solve this by just doing what you feel is right - what would you do?

It is interesting how framing it as simply as that often allows people to identify insightful ways of solving a problem that also meets the policy requirements, without being distracted by the minutiae.

Many large organisations struggle with such a simple notion.  You could ask whether the banking industry would have the current public relations challenges if issues were viewed through the lens of 'doing the right thing'.

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 Last week I met up with Ha-Dieu Ford. Ha-Dieu is the Chair of Women in Finance in Victoria, a position she has taken on with a wealth of experience in the financial sector since completing initial financial studies in the 1990's.

Our discussion revolved around Ha-Dieu's thoughts about Responsible Leadership which is one of her core interests with being Effective in Business.

Ha-Dieu explained that Responsible Leadership is about focusing on a style of business across all sectors that incorporates:

• Communications
• Outcomes
• Results and
• Feelings

To start, leaders need to move away from blame and take personal responsibility for outcomes and mistakes. It important as leaders that you ask yours questions on how you are contributing to your own professional development, your team, your stakeholders, your industry and our organisation.

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So, how are you going to affect the world around you today, tomorrow and every day?  What life will you look back upon?

I think it's worth dwelling on this universally inescapable fact ...

So often we make compromises, telling ourselves that the end justifies the means.  Well, in the end, we die.  How we chose to live our lives day to day, cumulatively defines our 80 or so years on this planet.
The responsibility of every business leader is to be clear about why their business exists.

Making a profit is not enough - that's a result of running a business well and delivering value to customers...

The why of business is rooted in values and explains how you hope to affect the world around you - not just in the long run but in the day to day operations of the business.

What are the things you believe in and will stand up for?

When will you make the inconvenient, uncomfortable and sometimes down right shitty choices?  

I believe it's important to be kind - and that is in no way meant to be mistaken for being nice.

Being kind certainly means truly listening before telling, sometimes means reprimanding an employee or senior executive to show the company values really matter and being willing to forgive rather than being drawn into an expensive and distracting ego battle.

Don't become one of these people who toil away, hoping that one day they'll earn enough money to escape the world they are helping create.

We also tend to measure success by growth - revenue, profits, people, GDP.

Continuous growth is fundamentally unsustainable but I almost never see projections or future plans which show decreasing revenue growth.

How about introducing other long term performance indicators linked to wellbeing and happiness?

It's much harder if you're a public company but what if you're private - what's stopping you?

That's the way it's always been done - is simply not good enough any more.

If you take the time to understand your purpose, determine to be kind and measure the right things, you might just find that;

• employees work for you because of shared beliefs - not just your money

• customers are far more supportive and loyal and profitable because instead of chasing new customers, you are investing in the needs of the ones you already have

• you find a renewed energy because you love what you're doing and how you're doing it

So, how are you going to affect the world around you today, tomorrow and every day?  What life will you look back on?

Contributed by...

Ian Lyons

Have you completed the latest Responsible Leadership survey yet?

If not, complete the Responsible Leadership 2010 survey here.

You will help our development of the...

International Road-Map for Responsible Leadership into 2011 and beyond...

We appreciate your support in spending 2 minutes completing the survey.

One question in our survey is an open ended question...

"I believe responsible leaders should...

Here are some recent responses..

• Seek to serve their people, their planet and their community
• Lead by Example and take every opportunity to promote ethical behaviour in the boardroom and in public
• Influence the way in which the business world links with the community
• Be ethical and motivational, be empowering to their people, provide clear direction, be consistent
• Take accountability for the results of what they do and what they don't do. We all live in many systems and everything we do impacts them in some way.
• If we take a wider view of responsibile leadership not just to the people we directly impact but to the community - business or social, society as a whole and the environment we live in, we start to see our impact and imprint on the world.  Then we act as if everything we do and every choice we make matters in some way.
• Find the right people and work with their strengths to build sustainable organisations that give back to the community they serve
• Act in the best interests of the country, society, those they manage and the business they are involved in to achieve long term ethically responsible and sustainable outcomes that improve quality of life where possible
• Set challenging goals and strive towards them
• Look after their people and at the same time maintain/enhance a performance culture
• Be motivated to support the best interests of their staff
• Contribute their time to emphasise their vaules and lead by example in fund raising and elevating the cause they believe in
• Discussions on corporate - community investment should be initiated from CEO to CEO so that the two sector leaders agree on mutual business strategy and how each will complement the other - Effective leadership requires multiple touchpoints within each busines from Board through management and staff
• Understand how they can contribute to the community and to building future capability. These leaders cannot be 'scared' to articulate their values and to live their values
• ..keep it real....never lose their common touch...
• ...make this the focus of everything you do, not just everything you say....people do come before profits and not at the expense of profit
• Look ahead to the liniage of their children - behave and design a world as they wish for them
• Recognise the direct and indirect impact their choices and leadership behaviours have on people today and in the future - postively and negatively
• Balance or even better integrate people, planet and profits so that organisations do good and ideally do no harm
• create the environment and culture to support people development, high performance  and sustainable business success without ecological offence
• Turn the heads of their tactically thinking colleagues to a longer term view
• To begin I - don't like the word "should"... I believe responsible and effective leaders take responsibility for an intention to learn how to be effective personally and professionally knowing that each thought, feeling and action has an effect locally and globally
• First and foremost be an example to others - lead the way with new initiatives and "paying it forward"
• Driving cultural change where needed
• Supporting community development
• Developing people and communities that surround them
• Invest in human resources, proved clear strategies for the long term, communicate consistently with all stakeholder providing consistent messages. Business focus should look to building capacity, growth and profit, though sometimes recognize these are sometime competing interests
• Overall businesses should look to support the community and be cogniscent on their environmental footprint
• Know, understand and respect our clients by delivering quality people, supported by excellent management processes in an environment of teamwork and achievement
• Listen
• Seriously consider the long term impact on our world of plans - think beyond today's $ to what the world will be like 50 years' hence - be brave in facing up to those who disagree on emotional (vs factual) grounds; have stewardship as a personal core value and live it to the fullest
• Have compassion, conviction, and respect

We look forward to your thoughts that will contribute to our Responsible Leadership 2011-> RoadMap.

Look forward to your contributions here

The 1st Responsible Leadership Newsletter has been released - view it here:

http://eepurl.com/Vq4o

Yesterday I interviewed Robert 'Bob' Bloom. You may know Bob as the now retired CEO of Publicis Worldwide which was built to a $4.6billion+ business under Bob's leadership.

Currently Bob is at his Italian home and doing some traveling in Europe before his return to the publication launch of his new book ' The New Experts' in the US on September 7th.

I read Bob's book and found it an interesting read that ties in very much with the services Total Executive offer in the digital communications arena. Though let me provide the review below as what I found highly engaging in my conversation with Bob was the subject of 'Responsible Leadership' - highly relevant with Total Exec's July newsletter that will go out this week.

Enjoying life in Italy Bob has been reminded that we are all mortal and just as flawed as every one else. He believes it makes you more sensitive living in other cultures - not just traveling through - actually living in them - in some ways especially for Americans who as the worlds economic leaders can see thngs from a little - self centred perspective.

Italy is a contrast in every way to New York and as Bob looked up at the full moon in Italy last night (as I did on the southern beaches of Sydney) Bob was reminded of the special elements of being human under a cloudless sky - an experience he doesn't endure  regularly in New York.

So comes our conversation to responsible leadership - a discussion that commences with remiss at the epidemic of irresponsible leadership - both in business and in government with leaders who continue to refuse to not accept responsibility.

Americans saw it clearly in the Bush era and alas the Obama era is not proving to be the 'era of change' American's (and the world) looked forward to.

Now Zimbabwe has diamonds they are generating global interest - but the inaction on human rights has been a huge turn off for the majority of people on the planet.

This turn-off and disinterest causes so many more problems and when we have additional concerns like the gulf oil spill and Afghanistan - well in some ways you can understand why people shirk responsibility.

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Swap A Book - For Students

Swap A Book for Students is a community project developed by Total Executive to help support students and the education facilities that improve the knowledge of our future generations.

The concept is simple...

You have a book I haven't read and I have a book you haven't read. We both recommend these books to each other.

Instead of buying the same new book each to read ourselves... We 'Swap A Book'.

Now since we are both saving the cost of buying these books - both of us pledge to contribute an amount to the education facility of our choice:

• It could be a local infants, primary or secondary school
• Maybe you select a Tafe or University
• Maybe it is a community education facility...

Whatever your selection, we are sure that your contribution will be appreciated.

[NB: Consider asking for a receipt if you are eligible for a tax deduction for your contribution. In this way, you may be able to contribute more since the government will be giving you some money back].

The whole concept is based on a system of honesty and giving - only as much as you can afford.

At the same time we all are learning - as we read more books!

Total Executive believe that the most valuable investment we can make is supporting the education and development of our future generations. That is why we have developed 'Swap A Book' as the first community project we support.

If you represent an education facility that would like to be involved in 'Swap A Book - For Students', please provide details in the form here so we can promote your involvement

If you have a story about how you have had success using 'Swap A Book', please let us know using the form here and your story could feature in our 'Community Projects Blog' - that is syndicated across a variety of media, including many social media platforms.

If you represent a business, organisation, association or other facility and believe there are ways we can collaborate with 'Swap A Book - For Students', please contact us using the form here

Source:

Total Executive

http://www.TotalExec.com.au

Currently complimentary membership to Total Executive is available for 2010/2011 Saving $495:00.

Learn about Leadership Sustainability Responsibility Technology Communication Creativity Coaching Training and Education from our network of leaders and executives

Visit: http://www.totalexec.com.au/membership-benefits/

We find this research very interesting...

Charities, NFP's and many more can learn from this research...

A landmark research study into the charitable giving behaviours and attitudes of Gen Y, Gen X, Boomer and Mature donors from Convio, Edge Research and Sea Change Strategies calls for a shift in marketing models to embrace online marketing.

Convio says the results of a first-of-its-kind national research study into the charitable giving behaviours and attitudes across generations will change the way Not for Profits approach the art and science of fundraising.

Convio says the biggest finding is that while direct mail will remain viable, it will not be the dominant channel for soliciting and collecting gifts that it is today. While 77 percent of Matures rely on direct mail as their primary giving channel, only 54 percent of Boomers, 43 percent of Gen X and 26 percent of Gen Y report giving through the channel.

Vinay Bhagat, chief strategy officer for Convio says the majority of Not for Profit marketing spend and tactics today are focused on mature donors, as they remain the mainstay of today’s charitable giving.

He says this research and the decline in donor acquisition rates indicate that the marketing model needs to shift to attract the next generation of donors while supporting continued direct mail success.

The research says Charities need to move away from a solely direct response focus to a multi-channel approach with a heavier emphasis on online marketing, emerging channels such as mobile and social media, and empowering supporters to market and fundraise with and for the organisation. Online marketing programs that have mostly operated as a silo must be integrated with traditional campaigns.

The study surveyed 1,526 donors to NFP organisations in the past 12 months to learn how different generations learn about, engage with and donate to charitable organisations. With Boomers and Gen X consisting of 60 percent of the donor population and taking a more prominent role in supporting charity, the study suggests that peers will play a bigger role in influencing donations, and that technology is driving greater expectations of engagement through multiple channels, including online, face-to-face and mobile.

Boomers and Gen X report a variety of channels such as e-commerce, online giving, event fundraising, tributes, monthly debit programs and even mobile/text donations as viable channels. Gen X and Gen Y are also more likely to participate in third-party/vendor programs where a portion of the proceeds from their consumer purchase goes to charity (programs like the Gap Red Campaign) at 25 percent and 27 percent respectively, compared to 17 percent for Boomers and 12 percent for Matures.

Mark Rovner, principal of Sea Change Strategies says the research indicates that future fundraising will move from a direct mail-focused environment to one that is multi-focal and requires strong collaboration across departments and channels.

He says the next generation is telling us that moments of awareness, persuasion and action may each be happening via different communications channels. In an industry where direct mail has been the workhorse of NFP fundraising, they are facing a future where no one channel is likely to dominate.

Donating goods or items is the number one form of support across generations (Gen Y - 55 percent, Gen X - 67 percent, Boomers - 66 percent, and Matures - 68 percent). Fifty-two (52) percent of all respondents reported making a donation when checking out at a retail store such as a grocery store. While small spontaneous gifts were cross-generational, Matures report that they have well-established commitments to charities, actively budget for their giving, and are reluctant to add new charities to those they support.

For the next generation donors, Boomers and Gen X giving is more spontaneous and based on who asks them to donate. They are more likely to support a charity when friends or family ask versus an appeal directly from the charity.

Pam Loeb, principal for Edge Research who conducted the study says that with changes in technology, the economy, and demographic make-up of donors, organisations are trying to cut through the clutter and make the right investments for their future success.

Download the paper here

Original Source

Pro Bono

Source:

Total Executive

http://www.TotalExec.com.au

Currently complimentary membership to Total Executive is available for 2010/2011 Saving $495:00.

Learn about Leadership Sustainability Responsibility Technology Communication Creativity Coaching Training and Education from our network of leaders and executives

Visit: http://www.totalexec.com.au/membership-benefits/

This is an interesting vodcast about the importance of social innovation in leadership for executives...

Source:

Total Executive

http://www.TotalExec.com.au

Currently complimentary membership to Total Executive is available for 2010/2011 Saving $495:00.

Learn about Leadership Sustainability Responsibility Technology Communication Creativity Coaching Training and Education from our network of leaders and executives

Visit: http://www.totalexec.com.au/membership-benefits/