Oct 24, 2018
Jeffrey Pfeffer, prolific author, writer, and thought leader,
joins The Leadership Podcast to discuss the current state of
leadership. He discusses the criteria for measuring leadership
effectiveness, and how we should reinforce caring behavior in our
leaders. Jeffrey is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of
Organizational Behavior at the Graduate School of Business,
Stanford University, and is the author or co-author of 15 books
including Leadership
B.S.: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a
Time, and his
latest, Dying for a
Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company
Performance - And What We Can Do About It.
Key Takeaways
[2:41] The biggest
challenge leaders face today is building human centered
organizations that put people first, or at least somewhere
prominently on the map.
[3:56] Jeffrey cites two things
we need to do in leadership development. First, we must evaluate
using the right measures. These include employee engagement,
reducing turnover, improving job satisfaction, building
organizations with sufficient numbers of people to take over
leadership positions, and measuring whether senior executives
believe that leadership development is making a difference. Second,
we ought to have leaders with sufficient expertise, and not confuse
entertainment with leadership.
[7:29] How do we build leaders
that care about people? Measurement. Systematic measurement holds
leaders accountable, tracks progress, and provides feedback on
progress.
[8:50] Most senior executives in
the U.S. believe their only responsibilities are to the
shareholders instead of the community, their customers and
employees. Actions speak louder than words, and Jeffrey feels there
is a lot of cheap talk, which has lead to an extraordinary level of
cynicism.
[12:20] Jeffrey believes that
human sustainability and human health ought to get a higher
priority. Workplace stress is one of the Top 5 causes of
death.
[15:19] A healthy workplace is a
combination of the system, the leaders and a personal
responsibility.
[16:35] When a human shows up
for work, they have entrusted their physical and psychological well
being to the workplace. It is up to senior leadership to take that
stewardship much more seriously.
[17:56] Building a healthy
workplace positively impacts company profitability. Instead of
stress reduction, Jeffrey would like to focus on stress
prevention.
[22:06] We are social creatures,
and are influenced heavily by our environment. If others around us
are working 11 hour days, we feel it is our duty to do that as
well.
[26:01] The most important part
of leadership is the ability to “perform,” and be consistently
authentic to what the people need.
[29:09] First and
foremost, to take care of your people, you must keep your position.
Then, the next responsibility is to get stuff done.
[31:32] It is completely
incorrect that the more hours we work, the higher the productivity.
In fact, it’s precisely the opposite. When you take a step back and
challenge assumptions, you can save a lot of time and
energy.
[41:11] Jeffrey tries to get
prepare people for the realities of the world, and not be seduced
by magical thinking or false claims.
Quotes
“We have confused leadership
development with entertainment.”
“Measurement is key.”
“Leaders say we put our
customers first, look at their actions. Leaders say we care about
our employees, look at their actions.”
“We have come to normalize the
unacceptable.”
“If people around you need
confidence, and you don’t feel confident - put on a
show.”
“The first responsibility of a
leader is to keep their job. The second, is to get things
done.”
“Hours don’t equate to
output.”
Twitter: Jeffrey Pheffer
LinkedIn: Jeffrey Pheffer
Website: Jeffrey Pheffer
Inc.
People Are Our Most Valuable Asset
Cartoon -
Dilbert
Dying for a Paycheck: How
Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance—and
What We Can Do About It by Jeffrey Pfeffer
Leadership BS: Fixing
Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time
by Jeffrey Pfeffer
Everybody Matters: The
Extraordinary Power of Caring for People Like Your
Family by Bob
Chapman and Raj Sisodia
Great at Work: How Top
Performers Work Less and Achieve More by Morten T. Hansen
Tim Ferriss
The Experience Economy: Work is
Theater & Every Business is a Stage by Joseph Pine & James H. Gilmore
Proof that you should get a
life by CW
London