If You Believe Your Company Is Like A Family, You Probably Have A Toxic Culture

By Cameron Coutts, organisational psychologist and podcast host. COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE BY WENDY LAMBOURNE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: When we hear the words “we are like a family”, as Legitimate Leadership we typically find an organisation where there is too much care and not enough growth. An organisation where relationships are overly affiliative, standards are low,...

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Power By Permission

For command to happen, there has to be an acceptance of command. For authority to be exercised by those in authority, there has to be willing submission by those over whom the authorities is being exercised. This is true of those who govern, at least in a mature democracy. As the saying goes “the queen...

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When Someone Says ‘I’m Happy As I Am’

The phrase ‘square peg in a round hole’ immediately alerts us to a problem. But what about the square pegs, firmly pressed into their square holes? What do you do as a leader when a team member says, “There is no need for a development plan, I’m happy as I am.” Now, it is great...

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May 2023 – Question Of The Month

Question:  How do you cultivate leaders who are values- rather than needs-driven, who act appropriately and who do the right thing? Answer: For leaders to act appropriately and do the right thing in any situation requires them to see what the appropriate thing to do is and then to behave accordingly. Understanding what the right thing...

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Leaders Get The People They Deserve

The statement, “In a democracy every nation has the government it deserves”, originally attributed to Joseph de Maistre (1976), is true. Those with voting rights choose or elect those who run the country. If the people become unhappy with their choice they can make a different selection in a subsequent election. The same cannot however...

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Society Needs To Choose – Safety Culture Or Blame Game

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE, BY WENDY LAMBOURNE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: Tom Lintner has synthesised 50 years of experience of safety in the transport industry in this thought-provoking article. Two things stick out for me. First, you can have a blame culture or a safety culture, but not both. Second, a safety culture depends on the four...

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April 2023 – Question Of The Month

Question:  Why does being values- rather than needs-driven as a leader matter? Answer:  There are two reasons why being values- rather than needs-driven is of paramount importance to the leadership of any enterprise. Firstly there is a relationship between being values- versus needs-driven and TRUST IN MANAGEMENT. When management compromises on what is the right...

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Can You Care And Grow People And Have Accountability In A Matrix Organisation?

The best leaders operate on good Intent – that is, they look at what they can GIVE their people to make them as good as they can be. Poor leaders are out for themselves and TAKE control of all decisions to guarantee a result that makes them look good. There are in fact only 7...

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What Is In The Time Bucket?

During a recent client visit the vital subject of how work is prioritised was a hot topic. There was a pervading feeling of being far too busy, which was causing stress. I took them through the famous analogy of the bucket that’s full of rocks, pebbles, sand and water (the bucket is your available time;...

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March 2023 – Question Of The Month

Question: Is Legitimate Leadership an ethical framework? Answer: Legitimate Leadership is an ethical framework because it argues for values- rather than needs-driven behaviour by all those at work, but particularly by those in leadership roles. Every time a leader acts appropriately, arising out of being values-driven, trust in the individual leader and the leadership collectively...

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If You Believe Your Company Is Like A Family, You Probably Have A Toxic Culture

By Cameron Coutts, organisational psychologist and podcast host. COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE BY WENDY LAMBOURNE, LEGITIMATE LEADERSHIP: When we hear the words “we are like a family”, as Legitimate Leadership we typically find an organisation where there is too much care and not enough growth. An organisation where relationships are overly affiliative, standards are low,...

View full article