Expand Your Mind: Leadership with Dan McCarthy
by Miki SaxonDan McCarthy, along with Jim Stroup and Wally Bock, are of the rare breed that write on leadership, but don’t see it as an elitist function, genetic gift or an ability defined, let alone guaranteed, by position or promotion.
Tuesday Dan wrote one of the funniest (and shortest) posts I’ve seen in quite awhile—and turned me green with envy.
The post was truly “ripped from the headlines” and I offer it in full with Dan’s gracious permission.
10 (+1) Dumb Leadership Mistakes from Recent Headlines
Come on now, how hard can it be to be a great leader? It seems the bar keeps getting lower and lower every day.
All you need to do is browse the headlines and you’ll easily come up with examples of what not to do as a leader. Just follow these hopefully easy to adhere to rules, do a reasonable good job, and you’ll be running your organization in no time:
1. Don’t drop too many F-bombs at work. Or, as far as I’m concerned, don’t drop them at all.
2. But even if your employee does, don’t fire your employee over the phone. F2f is the only option for canning an employee.
3. Don’t slap your employees. Two words: anger management.
4. Don’t hit on or party with your employees. Some may argue with this one, but I’d say you’re only asking for trouble.
5. Don’t upstage your boss. It’s always better to let your boss go first.
6. Don’t launch an IPO and get married in the same week. It’s all about focus.
7. Don’t fire an employee for being “too hot”. Or for being too ugly. But you can for a dress code violation. But not over the phone, see #2.
8. Don’t flirt with the jurors during your corruption trial. I’d file this one under the competency of “judgment”.
9. Don’t lie about your education (let’s hear it for New Hampshire!). Or about your ethnicity (Hey, if I’m going to mention NH, I couldn’t spare Massachusetts). Better yet, just don’t lie, period. It’s easier to remember things when you don’t make them up.
10. Don’t steal your company’s money. Or “borrow” it, or “misplace” it, or whatever.
Last, but not least – and I’m sorry to have to mention this in a family leadership blog – don’t ever, ever, have sex at work, under any circumstances. Asking “was that wrong?” will not save you from being fired.
Hope you enjoyed this tour of leadership ineptitude headlines. Anything you’d like to add to the list? By the time this post is published, I’m sure we can come up with 11 more.
Seeing as how four days have gone by since publication I’m sure there are far more than 11.
To make it interesting, add your own link and comment for a chance to win a copy of Claudio Feser’s Serial Innovators. Winner chosen by random drawing.
