Three Big Assumptions Leaders Should Question

Kate, Apparently we have not yet learned the lesson from the Tortoise and the Hare. There is a simple reason for that. In this world of ours, for the most part, the hare wins. We reward the hare with accolades, promotions, power, and riches. Even when the Hare loses, it wins (e.g. a CEO runs a company into the ground, gets fired, and exits with $50 million. Tough loss!). I just did a recent blog post referencing a Pontius’ Puddle cartoon in which Pontius states, “Sometimes I’d like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine, and injustice when he could be doing something about it.” His friend asks, “What’s stopping you?” Pontius responds, “I’m afraid God might ask me the same question.” It’s easy to blame the big wigs, but all of us are guilty. We allow it to happen. Until we start changing our reward systems, focus on building for the future, and on doing what’s right (and punishing the reverse), the trend will continue. While we may not be able to impact CEO compensation in the short term, for instance, we do have a large say in what gets rewarded within our areas of responsibility. We need to start making the tough decisions instead of going along with the tide. Nick