Be You – Not Them

In the piece I wrote called “Building Trust” I mentioned a Navy officer named Holly Graf and her litany of abuse and broken trust with fellow ratings and sailors. When reading that story and thinking about trust and the part it plays in great business environments, it occurred to me that Captain Graf might have watched Jack Nicolson in A Few Good Men one (or twenty-one) times too many!

It’s my observation that women leaders who attempt to model their behaviour on “the boys” come undone. Perhaps not immediately, but their approach eventually backfires. “Be yourself” is the best advice you’ll get.

After all, most of the blokes (that’s Australian colloquialism for men) aren’t that flash at leadership themselves, so why model yourself on their poor behaviour?

This is not to say that there aren’t any men who are great leaders and models, of course. One example is Sammy Lee, the CEO of Infinitus International in Hong Kong. The Infinitus business philosophy is based around the concept “In the Interests of Others.” Sammy’s grandfather, who founded the parent company Lee Kum Kee, wrote a small book by that name. Three generations later the business still operates that way…”in the interest of others”…and is doing very well.

Another great role model is the late Annita Roddick of The Body Shop fame––an inspiring female leader whose successful leadership style grew naturally not from imitating others but from her personal commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

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Tagged as: annita roddick, asian leaders, Employer of Choice, Leadership, Lee Kum Kee, women leaders