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Episode 18 – The Proof is in the Behavior

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

Release Date: 01/29/2021

Episode 36 - No, Thank You show art Episode 36 - No, Thank You

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

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Episode 35 – Allow Me show art Episode 35 – Allow Me

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

When it comes to building a healthy culture, there is no greater or more impactful example of culture than that of leadership.    Research continues to show that many of the world’s most profitable companies attribute a great deal of their success to their organizational culture.  At the forefront of these organizations are leaders who actively, regularly, and genuinely display the type of behavior desired for all of its members.    Some leaders equate their high visibility to constantly being put under the microscope.  They describe the...

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Episode 34 - I'm Sorry I Asked show art Episode 34 - I'm Sorry I Asked

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

Employee surveys can be a great source of information.  They can provide an intimate perspective of certain facets of the organization which may go unseen or unexperienced by leadership.  However, sometimes organizations are not prepared for the insight they receive.  They may feel that certain initiatives or decisions should be met with affirmation and positive accolades, only to find out that part of the employee population feels differently.    What do we do now?  Some organizations view the insight as a humbling experience and use it...

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Episode 33 - Crawl Before You Walk show art Episode 33 - Crawl Before You Walk

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

John Maxwell said “A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others.”  All too often, organizations are held hostage by their own people.  What does that mean?       We’re so glad you asked.    Being held hostage by your people is a dynamic that explains leaders who do more to withhold knowledge and experience than to share it with others.  When these leaders leave for new opportunities, the organization is left scrambling to recreate that knowledge or...

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Episode 32 - The Bold and The Atypical show art Episode 32 - The Bold and The Atypical

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

We often hear that effective leadership requires bold decisions and behavior.  However, servant leadership principles tend to illustrate a very different type of leader from what most people are accustomed to.  While we don’t disagree with the premise that leaders need to be bold, we want to look at the term through a different lens in this episode.    One definition illustrates the word “bold” as showing the ability to take risks; to be confident and courageous.  Here, again, we wouldn’t disagree with that interpretation.  However, it’s...

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Episode 31 - Getting Around to Dealing with Conflict show art Episode 31 - Getting Around to Dealing with Conflict

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

Why are we still so afraid of conflict?  Why do we assume the mere presence of conflict is always negative?  When it comes to addressing conflict, there is an immediate assumption that the conversation/interaction will go poorly and possibly lead to something much worse.    Years ago, we used to rate a successful marriage by how little a couple fought.  It wasn’t uncommon to hear a story about a husband and wife who had been married for forty years and how they “never had a fight.” ...

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Episode 30 - The Air You Can Wear show art Episode 30 - The Air You Can Wear

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

Nothing describes a late summer day in Central Pennsylvania better than the three H’s…hazy, hot and humid.  But what do the three H’s have to do with leadership?    While you can’t necessarily see the humidity outside simply by looking through your office window, you most certainly feel its presence the second you venture outdoors.  When we think of those of who have influenced us over time, most likely it’s not their physical appearance or blatant actions we recall.  As Maya Angelou once opined “I've learned that people will forget what you said,...

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Episode 29 - Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation show art Episode 29 - Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

Today’s workforce is one of the most diverse in history.  Workers fall into one of five (yes five) different generations.  While diversity and inclusion continue to garner a great deal of attention, organizations and leaders are struggling to address tension and conflict when it comes to many different people working together and interacting with one another.    Perception is not always reality.  We like to say that our perceptions may be our reality, but are they truly reality?    One of the greatest...

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Episode 28 - Finding the Big Impact in the Little Things show art Episode 28 - Finding the Big Impact in the Little Things

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

When is the last time you paused and gave thanks for the things in your life that you know to be true and good?    There is growing research on the multitude of benefits associated with gratitude.  From physical benefits such as the ability to lower stress and create better sleep habits, to psychological benefits like increased satisfaction and resilience; implementing a regular practice of gratitude can have a significant impact on our lives.   Taking time each day to be grateful can actually play a role in how our brains are wired.  A concept...

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Episode 27 - High Expectations or High Adherence show art Episode 27 - High Expectations or High Adherence

Leadership Insight with Rising Sun

“We have found that by reaching for what appears to be the impossible, we often actually do the impossible; and even when we don’t quite make it, we inevitably wind up doing much better than we would have done.” -Jack Welch  Oftentimes, leaders set high expectations for their organizations and their employees in order to maintain relevance and maximize potential.  However, many leaders wind up expressing disappointment and frustration when those expectations aren’t met.  Why do so many well-intentioned leaders have employees who consistently fall short of or fail to...

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If asked whether or not their organization has a set of core values, many leaders would respond in the affirmative.  A smaller number could recite all or at least some of those values, as well as identify where those values could be found within the organization (i.e. company intranet, posted on the walls in their building, conference rooms, etc.).  We submit that even fewer leaders yet, if many at all, know what those values specifically mean to and within their organization.   

Organizations who have thrived on the heels of a values-based culture have clearly identified the behaviors which reflect adherence to those values.  The behaviors are evident in multiple facets of the organization starting possibly as early as the first encounter with a potential candidate for an open position.  These organizations have figured out how not only to make these values a significant part of how the organization operates, but in how employees perform, communicate, interact, make decisions, and resolve conflict.

The evidence of a thriving values-based culture can be easily seen both inside and outside of the organization.  It is noticeable to vendors and other stakeholders in the relationships which are built and maintained.  It is evidenced in the way members of the organization interact with customers and how they deliver on their products or services.  Much of the success associated with these organizations can be attributed to the fact that culture was deemed a priority.  The details of it were specifically drafted, frequently taught, and strictly enforced.  Finally, employees in these organizations have bought into the culture.  They hold themselves accountable when their behavior doesn’t align with the values and are unafraid to call out their peers when similar behavior is displayed.  Such behavior might even be discussed and/or measured in performance appraisals. 

There are many benefits to implementing a values-based culture over a rules-based culture.  Yet, many organizations fail to go beyond simply selecting the values they feel are important to them.  The result is a stark contrast between the culture they feel the should or want to have versus the one that actually exists.  We urge leaders to put the time in to define what your values look like and mean to your organization.  Additionally, we encourage you to set the tone by displaying these behaviors and recognizing/praising similar behavior in others.  Once leadership shows that culture, and more specifically a values-based culture, is a priority to them, it will become a priority to other members within the organization as well.