Posts by americanceo

According to Gallup, seventy percent of a team’s engagement is dependent upon their manager. If you’re a CEO or senior executive, you likely see the difference managers make in your organization—and you see what fails when your managers struggle.

We all know that the big bad wolf is a fictional character appearing in several Disney tales but this wolf has become a generic archetype for a menacing predator. Unfortunately, many leaders are seen as the big bad wolf or the big bad boss who leads by fear and negativity and who is seen as looking to devour and punish those they’ve been entrusted to lead. The question for all leaders is do we want to be seen as predators? As a leader do you want to be seen as someone who looks to devour those who are there to support you?

What if we, as leaders, don’t have all of the answers? Working with executives in the C-Suite has revealed an interesting fact. One of the greatest fears leaders hold is that someone will find out they don’t know what they are doing or they don’t have all of the answers. This leads to a lack of confidence in their decision making or downplaying their achievements. All of this can produce a self-fulfilling prophecy. Others feel the self-doubt and question their conclusions. The energy behind the decision is not as strong or inspiring as it could be.