Living Leadership, 3rd Edition

6

Surfing, sinking and swimming

Don’t panic, you’re only human

We worked with a group of managers in a well-known multinational. The group had a stormy time. There were strong-minded managers from many different cultures and backgrounds and the pressures to perform were intense. After some months the group had a review session. The Czech manager in the group said: “I really appreciated being in this group and have learnt a lot. I also never want to go through that again!” One of us said: “Oh yes you will go through it again – but it may be less painful because you will recognise the pattern next time. You will also know that you don’t have to do it alone. You could pick up the phone.”

A key conclusion of our research is that effective ...