What is the Greatest Risk to Your Leadership
By leadership author and keynote speaker Ross Shafer
So, what is the Greatest Risk to your Leadership? If you think it’s about failing, you’re wrong. Right now, the US election is over – and half of you are probably angry about how it turned out. The worst part of this past election season (for me)…and I’d bet for you – was the relentless name calling, the resurrection of decades-old video, and the campaign ADS that assassinated the character of each candidate… Hillary was Crooked…and Trump was…Creepy…AND THAT brings me to what I believe is the single greatest risk of leadership. Your greatest risk isn’t about your success or failure.
It’s about how you are perceived by the people you lead. And that perception can be defined by every emotional outburst you’ve ever displayed via email or posted on social media. Because, when you turn your thoughts into electronic data, you become a public figure whose reputation is at risk of going viral. Billions of cell phones can record every bad judgment you ever made. Every nasty email you sent lives forever in the Cloud. – oh, you can try to delete it or destroy your own devices, but you’ve sent those texts and those emails to other people…so THEY still have them… and they can share ‘em if they want. So from now on, you should ASSUME that everything you say and do will be recorded and played back to you, ten years from now.
You should assume that everything you write WILL be shared with people you don’t want to see it. As leaders, THINK before you speak or write. Be sensible about who – and how – you share your emotions. When I was a kid if I lashed out of anger, I would say, “I was wrong and I take it back.” But that doesn’t work anymore, does it? My father Chuck Shafer used to tell me, “You think you can get away with stuff in this life, but you need to know that you are NEVER invisible. I hear about everything you do – from people you don’t even know. And, I am the most proud of you when I get reports from people you didn’t even think were looking.” So let’s be more conscientious of what we say – and who we might hurt with our words. Let’s assume the world IS ALWAYS watching. Be careful so you don’t regret it later. Don’t risk your leadership reputation on a hot temper or a viscous email. Because there is good chance your moment of temper will come back to haunt you…or worse, embarrass your career or your family. And think about what you saw in the 2016 election… TV ads that asked, “Would you want your children to see OR hear THIS from the leader of our country?” The more important question is, “Would you want your children to see and hear what YOU say and do – …when you don’t think THEY’RE looking?”
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Ross Shafer is the author of (9) popular business books and (14) human resource training films. In a former career Ross won (6) Television Emmy awards for his work as a TV host, writer, and producer. Today, Ross is a sought after keynote speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.