July 2025 – Lead-Wise

Month: July 2025

Are We Really Learning From Others’ Mistakes or Just Having Fun With Them?

It is amazing and sad to see how much mileage social media posts are getting from discussing and commenting about other people’s mistakes or failures. Sadly, more people seem to be interested in those types of posts more, even on LinkedIn (perhaps related to our natural human interest in listening to stories and gossips).

Within a few days, a photo of two corporate leaders from a relatively unknown company in a Cold Play concert in the U.S. reached all corners of the world on all types of social media and were shared multiple times (still keeps appearing in feeds, tiring). This is not about justifying or supporting anyone’s actions but sharing a sincere concern/observation about how we celebrate someone else’s personal mistakes with high interest and energy. Envy may also be in play.

While it would have been pertinent to discuss the organisational aspects on professional networks, like critical conflict of interest, confidentiality impact, role of power dynamics in relationships, leadership trust erosion, flow of information, culture impact, role of the board, how organisations could manage such scenarios effectively (any one of them could have been more valuable discussions professionally), very few posts seemed to do that.

Public figures understandably get a lot more limelight, interest and accountability as they get voted to power by the public based on the promises and images they highlight. Leaders in any organisation as well are always under the spotlight because of the power they hold (smaller companies as well become case studies quickly). Perhaps, public organisations get increased focus for good reason, they are using public money. Leaders in positions of power everywhere tend to have a higher bar of expectations and role modelling. Expectations of privacy are limited. This is important awareness for leaders everywhere. At the same time, leaders are also human beings with emotions. Mistakes and errors in judgment can happen.

Do we also have a tendency to jump to conclusions and make judgments very fast in our current world?
Do we tend to celebrate other’s failures, while being reluctant to analyse our own and focus on becoming better human beings?

It’s also worthwhile to remember what Jesus Christ famously said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.”

Image Source: Pixabay; CDD20

The Power of ‘Curiosity’

July 16, 2025 / Tojo Eapen / 0 Comments

These are valuable notes below for reflection on “Curiosity” from a recent Harvard Business Review article titled, The Right Way to Prepare for a High-Stakes Conversation. Curiosity mindset seems to drive learning. The powerful impact and related behaviours appear in many articles and studies, including leadership potential (Egon Zehnder).
—
“In a world where information is abundant but insight remains scarce, curiosity may be the ultimate competitive advantage.

If you wouldn’t fly on a plane that hadn’t had a preflight check, why head into a high-stakes conversation without first checking your most vital mindset: curiosity?

The question isn’t whether you’ll face disagreement and pushback in your next high-stakes conversation—it’s whether you’ll be mentally prepared to transform that into insight and constructive action.

Curiosity is a choice, and that choice begins before you speak your first word.

By honestly assessing where you sit on the Curiosity Curve, setting realistic intentions to move toward greater openness, and deploying targeted Curiosity Sparks, you can transform your most challenging interactions from battles to be won into opportunities for mutual discovery and collaborative problem-solving.”

According to the author, there are four surprising benefits of curiosity.
“1. When We’re Curious About People, They Like Us More.
2. Curiosity Begets Curiosity
3. Curiosity Creates Empathy
4. Curiosity Makes Us More Resilient

To get more curious, try asking yourself one of these “curiosity sparks.”
1. What might I be missing?
2. How else might someone else interpret this situation?
3. How might I be affecting them?
4. What can I learn from this person?“
—

Can you build the curiosity mindset into your organisation culture?
Perhaps a good place to start with is in leadership and management development.

Sources:
* The Right Way to Prepare for a High-Stakes Conversation; Harvard Business Review; Jeff Wetzler; July 2, 2025
* 4 Surprising Benefits of Curiosity; PsychologyToday; Jeff Wetzler; December 12, 2024

Psychopaths in leadership roles? Trying to explore balance.

July 7, 2025 / Tojo Eapen / 0 Comments

An interesting 2019 article by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (currently, Chief Innovation Officer of ManpowerGroup), discussed psychopaths and related traits in leadership roles.

These are selected notes from the article below.

* According a study dating back to 2010, there were at least three times as many psychopaths in executive or CEO roles than in the overall population.
But more recent data found it’s now a much higher figure: 20 percent.

* Spotting A Psychopath
Narcissism involves an unrealistic sense of grandiosity and superiority, manifested in the form of vanity, self-admiration and delusions of talent.
Main characteristics of narcissistic and toxic bosses:
1. They often crave validation and recognition from others.
2. They tend to be self-centered.
3. They have high levels of entitlement.

* As I highlight in my most recent book, “Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How to Fix It),” many wildly celebrated character traits, such as courage and risk-taking, often coexist with psychopathic tendencies.

Finding The Balance
* To some degree, all successful entrepreneurs have problems with authority, which is why they are so eager to demolish the status quo and replace it with something else.
* So while a certain degree of nonconformity and unconventionality is needed to drive innovation and entrepreneurship, any leader will need to have a minimum level of integrity, empathy and altruism to be able to connect with and focus on the well-being of their teams, rather than on advancing their own personal agenda.
* It is this range of pro-social and ethical traits that can turn even contrarian and combative personalities into a catalyst for good in society: Replacing the status quo with a better version of progress.

Source:
1 in 5 business leaders may have psychopathic tendencies—here’s why, according to a psychology professor; cnbc.com; April 9, 2019; Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Tough Vs. Strong/Human-Centric Leadership

July 2, 2025 / Tojo Eapen / 0 Comments

A recent MIT Sloan Management Review article, titled ‘Five Leadership Lessons for ‘Tough’ CEOs’, seems to be making a differentiation between tough and strong/human-centric leaders. It holds valuable reminders in the current environment, where backward steps seem to be taken frequently.

Selected notes from the article:

* Pre-pandemic, research had built compelling cases for human-centric leadership. This data was reinforced during the crisis as many businesses survived despite dire circumstances. Today, we’re seeing central corporate command try to reassert control to reinstitute old norms.
* Tough-talking leaders often fail to appreciate that reliability – the foundation of trust – is what builds results.
* Tough CEOs don’t recognize the value of human-centered leaders who tap into their emotional intelligence as much as their intellectual intelligence to deepen relationships in all the ways that improve workers’ performance.

Five Lessons for Tough Talkers From Strong Leaders
1. Tough leaders mistakenly think empathizing means giving in, but it doesn’t. Human-centered leaders empathize to better communicate and collaborate. Empathizing means connecting with what others are thinking and feeling. It’s the skill that cultivates safe spaces for creativity, builds strong team alliances, and gets to clarity on issues.
2. Human-centric leaders aren’t soft about employees’ performance. They don’t ask for less. Instead, they set clear goals and priorities. They monitor progress at the team and individual levels. And they align work with employees’ identified strengths and skills. Human-centered leaders check in regularly with team members to coach them and course-correct as circumstances evolve. They cultivate the fundamentals for exceptional performance, including a sense of belonging, by emphasizing outcomes.
3. Tough-talking leaders often fail to appreciate that reliability – the foundation of trust – is what builds results. A study conducted by i4cp found that organizations where people trusted their leaders were 11 times more likely to be high performers.
4. Strong leaders recognize that one size does not fit all. Each team’s purpose and realities are adjusted for and can be modified when business conditions and the needs of both the company and team members change.
5. Even in our fast-changing world, tough-talking leaders won’t admit to ever being wrong – despite unprecedented uncertainties. Evidence from Berkeley Haas professor Jennifer Chatman shows that such leaders cause long-lasting damage to organizations through reduced collaboration and integrity.

Challenging the tough-leader persona is essential for managing talent through volatility and ambiguity. Leaders need to nurture a sense of belonging to support strong performance.

Source: Five Leadership Lessons for ‘Tough’ CEOs; Brian Elliott and Sophie Wade; June 16, 2025; MIT Sloan Management Review