That Ontario based Bayly Communications went into receivership last month did not really make headlines. Yet the possible demise of this company, formerly Bayly Engineering, is significant as it marks the disappearance of the last vestige of an illustrious Canadian.

Founder, Benjamin De Forest (Pat) Bayly, the largely unknown Canadian hero of WWII whose brilliant encryption/decryption work saved countless lives and gave the Allies an unquestioned competitive edge, maintained the point of view that he should never be known by name. He refused to write up an account of his secret intelligence activities after the war saying:

"… the best thing I could do was shut up ..."

"I wasn’t having any of that, because I had been treated extremely well by Canada, the States and England - far beyond what was necessary. I was welcomed into places where it was absolutely necessary that I be … and everybody's been so very kind. … We'd go out and have a couple of drinks and they'd tell me political things that shouldn’t be free, … they were really quite outspoken and I came to the conclusion at the end of the war that the best thing I could do was shut up. Because if I did, if I spoke all the things I would unwittingly mention, things would have political (consequences)…." Quoted in The True Intrepid by Bill Macdonald (RAINCOAST Books)

Bayly’s standpoint meant that he placed the greater picture ahead of his personal desire for recognition – The critical discretion of a truly service-oriented leader!

That Kai Nagata’s manifesto on why he quit his job went viral, perhaps speaks to the frequency of the workplace sentiment that there is no point in continuing to do what we do.  

This is particularly true of aspiring leaders, hamstrung by perceived hidden corporate agendas that either overtly or covertly put the brakes on full deployment of potentially exciting ideas, strategies and vision. This becomes especially serious when ethical or value discordance comes into play. How often are we left feeling:” I just can’t buy into this… but what options do I have?” John Le Carre’s words come to mind: “the discovery that you’re just turning over a system that gets neither better nor worse is extremely depressing...”A courageous soul, free of duty to others, will take the leap and head for the hills… prepared to embark on a search for a better fit.

Some 20 years ago I abandoned a promising diplomatic career ... just before taking up post as the then youngest ever full-on ambassador ... The fact that the powers that be had, for me, totally departed from my perceived notion of the noble goals of the profession...or had nefarious agendas was unbearable. More than 2 decades of diverse consulting/training/coaching has since taught me that this phenomenon is more common than not in the larger world... Nagata's words and the widespread reaction to his experience bears direct testimony to the importance of ensuring that ethics, values and purpose retain priority in corporate goal setting!

Importantly the recognition, validation and accommodation of the like-minded goes a long way to ensuring that the valuable contribution of Kai Nagata, and his ilk, is not lost.   

http://kainagata.com/2011/07/08/why-i-quit-my-job/

Effective Business Leadership recognizes real and perceived negativity in the operational as well as all stakeholder environments.  This ability embraces the coexistence of opposites, notably certainty & uncertainty, structure & chaos. In the same vein, good leadership will recognize, accommodate and optimise individual/team strengths and manage human weakness/imperfection. Such an approach builds a climate of team confidence & trust.

Without failure there cannot be success; Agreement without disagreement! In recent decades though, a corporate leadership culture where all negativity is ignored/dismissed if and when it arises, seems to be increasingly commonplace. It is almost as if the school of positive thinking pundits have banished the possibility of all things negative, denying an inescapable human emotional wellspring.

Oftentimes those who disagree or ask too many questions are oftentimes seen as a “negative team influence”. I hear all too often the comment that these folk are “slowing the team down”! Would it not be an unfortunate turn of events if such inflexible management, preferring sycophantic passivity, cowed thinking/dedicated individuals into silence? Surely the consideration of opposing points of view provides opportunities for change, enhancement and innovation? A corporate spirit of efficent exploration will surely lead to a strong competive edge!

Mishaps, problems, glitches & failure are part of life. Is it prudent to hold the view that these phenomenon should not happen? Why is it that anything short of 100% approval is often enough to prompt real anxiety and the desire for retribution? Is it possible to lead via set templates and the rule book? Similarly, why are individuals who ask for help so often considered "incapable"? Have our levels of expectation/entitlement risen to absolute levels? What happened to the age old adage: To err is human?  

I recently came across an interesting talk by Alain de Botton that extols the virtue of pessimism - - An interesting societal exploration of the ongoing individual search for happiness and success – Perhaps a good investment of listening time:  

http://vimeo.com/10601416

For many years I have drawn comfort from Leonard Cohen’s Anthem:

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ma5tF6TJpA

For all inquiries about Business Leadership Training/Coaching: (416) 962-6700  

If a true leader is someone who has the ability to identify requirement, the courage to proactively engage & the smarts to formulate a workable solution, logically this person would automatically be, to varying degrees, at odds with the status quo and those who are content to go with the flow.

The key to meeting this challenge, as we know, is the ability to persuade, sell, influence and negotiate in order to overcome inherent resistance to change. Yet in the course of almost 2 decades of Leadership Training, Coaching & Consulting, I find it is this particular attribute that oftentimes frustrates real leadership deployment.  Innovative, different or exceptional thinking is, in the nature of things, in direct conflict with the beliefs, expectations, hopes and even the morality of the majority. How often are brilliant ideas ignored in favour of more digestible “what we know works” solutions? More...

A Forensic Investigation, it is probably safe to say, refers to the reading/consideration of all available clues to determine the origins (what or why or by whom) of any known/past fact, deed or event.

A Corporate Intelligence Initiative refers to the reading of all available clues to determine what might happen in the future.

This simple comparison proved useful recently while working with a large corporate client in overcoming group resistance to work with unproven scenarios. Illustrating that the expertise required for disaggregating a problem was exactly the same as that required to work forward to a desired goal, facilitated the deployment of an innovative strategy to navigate uncharted territory.

Working with the unknown or unproven, in our opinion, is the greatest challenge facing the corporate mind set in securing a true competitive edge. Dynamic Leadership has the courage to explore and factor in what might happen in the future. Risk Management is just that… managing, not avoidance, of mights & maybes!
  

“In the end he was no more than that, a mirror, showing me my own face and feelings, making me intensely self-conscious. He was doing what writers do, reminding me of who I was….” - Paul Theroux, A Dead Hand 

One of the guiding principles of our leadership training/coaching/mentoring approach is to enable individuals and teams to be who they are, rather than who they are expected to be. This involves a process of holding a mirror that reflects reality. Over a period of 22 years of professionally training many diverse people, a key observation has been that accepting their own individual excellence is oftentimes more difficult for business folk, than having areas requiring attention revealed to them. Negative feedback is easier to accept than positive!

So too, on a personal level, it took me many years to realize that positive reinforcement is more often than not viewed with suspicion and mistrust. At best many feel that extolling virtues is insincere or undue flattery, masking a hidden agenda! More...

Natalie Portman paid meaningful homage to brilliant director Darren Aronofsky, after receiving her Golden Globe award (Best Actress for her performance in The Black Swan): 

 "Every time we finished our takes, you would say, 'Now do this one for yourself,' and that gave me such beautiful inspiration as an actor to not just be amused, that I could create on my own as well.” 

This anecdote beautifully illustrates the role of a good mentor – Allowing or facilitating conditions for, the best in someone to shine through…! 

So too in business, a good leader, in striving to access maximum individual/team input, will create fertile ground for the seeds of creativity and innovation to flourish...

As direct offshoot from our Corporate Intelligence Program we have successfully delivered a 2-day training pilot for this exciting and relevant new offering: 

The Situation  

A growing IT solution provider ready to move to the next level in terms of growth and steps to establish a clear competitive edge 

The Challenge 

Lack of available budget to hire required expertise 

The Task 

 To explore the availability of existing, but untapped expertise in the current team resource pool; An interactive discussion format allows for an organic/flexible evolution of team performance/results – This is not a canned/pre-set program. 

The Program Objectives 

·          Stocktaking of current team responsibilities existing and conscious team expertise and experience·          Via everyday and fun exercises, demonstrate to team members their innate ability to access unconscious knowledge and provide workable solutions

·          Up the ante, using newly learned techniques to explore real operational challenges/problems/objectives solutions and possibly arrive at sustainable and cost-effective solutions     

Short Term Results 

·          Clear individual ability to think laterally and access hitherto hidden or dormant expertise

·          Team preparedness to consider the bigger picture and cross job-description boundaries where necessary

·          Potentially workable solutions delivered within available budget 

Long Term Results 

·          Increased awareness of, and individual connection (across the board) to, service-oriented leadership

·          Enhanced/sustainable work ethic   

Should this program resonate, please call Rodger Harding for more information: (416) 962-6700 

The program respects client confidentiality at all times!

 “Expression is all we want… not knowledge, but vent: We know enough; but have not leaves and lungs for a healthy perspiration and growth” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (Selected Journals 1841-1877)

Rodger Harding is proud to have been invited by Adriaans & Associates to present a full day workshop that will explore and demystify the role of Women in Leadership

Date: Friday November 20, 2009.

Sheraton Centre Toronto,

123 Queen Street West, Toronto

·          Full day leadership workshop 8:00am-4:30pm (lunch served)

·          Cocktail networking session 5:00–7:00 pm

·          Draw— 2 tickets to South Africa sponsored by South African Airways

Rodger Harding’s empowering insights reflect an exciting life lived on three continents. His experiences have fuelled a firm conviction that individuals are totally unique and deserve to be accommodated for who they are rather than who they are expected to be. His particular passion for recognizing, accessing and enabling deserving Canadian women, is clearly demonstrated through his long standing professional development engagement with the nation-wide Canadian Women in Communications (CWC) Professional Development & Mentorship Program.

Rodger is a gifted storyteller – His riveting presentations are uniquely interesting, entertaining, and memorable!

"Do not follow where the path may lead.

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Muriel Strode