Magnify L&D: December 2010

Happy Holidays!

I believe the holiday season and the end of the year is an excellent time to step back from our day-to-day routines and reflect upon what I like to call our personal self leadership "pilgrimage."

A key personal leadership lesson I address in the "Camino" workshop is about becoming a Servant Leader. This time of year is an excellent time for us to strive to become a more effective "servant" to those we serve and/or lead.

A perfect example of such a leader is Aaron Feuerstein, the 3rd generation owner and CEO of Malden Mills, the New England manufacture of "climate control" materials like Polertec and Polarfleece.

Feuerstein was a business leader who had built his business based on Talmudic teachings and values that extended far beyond the minimum legal responsibilities he had toward the shareholders of the company. He also built a business that focused on assisting his workers and the community where they lived.

However, when a fire destroyed the company's New England factories in 1995, Feuerstein faced an ethical dilemma. Prior to this time, he had maintained his factories in Maine even though most other fabric manufacturers were closing plants in the US and moving their facilities overseas in order to improve profitability. Now that his factories were destroyed, he had to decide whether to take the opportunity to follow the trend and move overseas where manufacturing costs would have been less, or rebuild in New England.

When asked about his decision, Feuerstein explained that his religious beliefs and heritage guided him in his decision. In other words, he made the decision he made not only for economic reasons, but because he was firmly anchored to core values and guided by a strong moral compass. He stated in an interview with Parade Magazine in 1996 that "I have a responsibility to the worker; both blue-collar and white-collar...I have an equal responsibility to the community." Even though it would have been easier to move overseas, he re-built the plants in the same communities and kept all the employees on the payroll through the period of reconstruction!

What a striking difference this story provides in comparison to the all too common headlines where only the bottom-line, self aggrandizement and greed seem to be the focus of our leaders!

While they may be on a smaller scale, we all face similar dilemmas at one point or another in our careers. What makes Mr. Feuerstein's story memorable is that not only did he give lip service to core values; he acted on them by creating a corporate culture that was securely anchored to core values and was personally guided by a clear moral compass.

We should not be surprised by unethical behaviors of those around us if our only focus is the bottom line, personal aggrandizement or selfish pursuits. If that is our main focus, then we should not be surprised if our actions and the actions of those we influence only focus on ways to improve profitability or increase sales or power at the risk of everything else!

We could all benefit from having the same moral courage shown by Mr. Feuerstein. Let us take the time this season to anchor ourselves more firmly in core values and become more aligned to a clear moral compass so that when we are faced with ethical dilemmas our actions are just as admirable and memorable as Mr. Feuerstein's!

Share your examples of Servant Leaders!

Too often it is the bad examples of leadership that gets our attention. I am interested in gathering from examples of leaders who were anchored to core values, guided by a moral compass and could be considered "servant" leaders. By submitting your example, you will be entered into a drawing for a copy of my book: Magnify Change Leadership: A Practical Guide for Leading Teams in Times of Change! I will announce the winner and share some of the examples in January's newsletter. Click the link below to submit your ideas and/or add your suggestion by commenting on our blog:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e36fvnewgh85wx9y/start

I would be happy to facilitate "El Camino" The Way to Personal Leadership and/or other Magnify L&D workshops for you and your organization or as a public workshop in your area. Don't hesitate to contact us for more information.

Happy Holiday Season!

James Gehrke