It’s good news week!
I’m sure we all know something of the story written by the prolific author Hans Christian Andersen, (author of “The Little Mermaid”)…
The story, based on a 14th Century Spanish cautionary tale, is one of a vain emperor, a couple of con-men posing as tailors, some alleged clothing made from a “special” fabric -invisible to those unfit for their position or “hopelessly stupid” and said emperor’s parade of his new (invisible) clothes before his ministers and subjects all of whom, are too fearful to tell the truth..
The visual that comes to mind of a naked leader-type parading around in front of a bunch of onlookers cannot be “unseen”..
The emperor in question led by fear. No-one around him except for a young child with nothing invested in the outcome, is willing to tell him the truth and the Emperor himself, is afraid of admitting it as it will expose his folly. Knowledge is indeed, power.
(Of course, the corollary to the story is fact that every onlooker in the tale is equally unfit for their position or hopelessly stupid.)
Unfortunately it’s all too common among leaders (Geopolitical and Workplace) and perhaps, even belies a trait that predisposes them to these roles.
Nevertheless, the fear of truthfulness and accountability and the subsequent behaviour it drives is what constrains an organisations of 35, 35,000 or 350,000,000 from being truly “Great”.
Fast forward to today and much has changed except NAB’s market position with it’s shares hovering around it’s post GFC lows..
And the US market’s march onward and (mostly) upward is being upheld as the sign of a strong economy when nothing could be further from the truth…
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53619379/donald-trump.0.jpg)
“That force and strength must not get through, I, with the gentlest of touch may do. A great many in the streets to stand if I were not to be readily at hand.”
What am I?
Have a great week!