The other day, we were listening to one of those stock market prognosticators on cable news. VIM Executive Coaching is always trying to keep up with the latest trends in all areas of leadership.
In any case, the well-accomplished investment banking executive leader said something like: “I find that leading my company is like options trading. If we’re lucky, we put in effort now in hopes of better performance down the road.”
Wow, Just Wow
We are sure the CEO was quite sincere in his rather sound-bite statement, and we certainly wish him no harm, but leadership is quite unlike stock or especially options trading. The difference, of course, is the concept of mindfulness.
Though we can do all kinds of technical analyses (and please believe us, many of our clients come from the investment world), options trading or playing the stock market is an exercise in hope and the game is to stay ahead, or behind, of a trend or curve.
Going back to the CEO’s core premise, if we are to put in effort now and then walk away, all we are essentially doing is believing that people or situations never change. They do, of course. In fact, people and conditions can change more frequently – even radically than the stock market.
The concept of laissez-fare management is a major reason many executive leaders fail and certainly, why many programs, plans and organizations fail as well. It is how “favoritism” is created, “Good old boy” networks come into being and how established companies fail to recognize disrupters in their midst.
The Mindful Executive
VIM Executive Coaching believes in mindfulness as a core value especially as it applies to executive leadership.
We have no idea of what a Call or Put option will do in 30 days; we don’t know if a stock we buy today will double in value in a year, but if we are mindful in the moment, we should have a good idea if there is a severe personnel problem or there is a situation with technology, a work team or a vendor that needs intervention.
The mindful executive is not at some point in the future, but in the moment, in real-life, in the middle, rather than on the outskirts of a situation that should require attention.
The mindful executive is responsive and not reactive. He or she is aware of what is happening and then acts on it in real-time. A mindful and responsive executive leader is an involved leader who is unafraid to make a decision and to take corrective action.
In our view, one of the worst things that can happen in an organization is when an executive leader says “I was unaware this was going on,” and then having a manager timidly raising their hand and replying “We have been informing you of this situation for weeks (or months or years).”
Unfortunately, the lack of mindfulness is one of the reasons why so many organizations failed during the pandemic; why the shame of a lack of diversity and inclusion still exists in many companies; why unethical behaviors are practiced as a matter of course.
The executive leader who still believes in the concept of “Management by Objection,” rather than by objective is as antiquated as the Pterodactyl.
When the executive leader fails to be in the moment, mindful, and most all authentic in decision making, the organization fails in all of its objectives. We must be in this together, in this now, or we all lose.