Business Ethics & Integrity Services
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INTEGRITY J UNE 2002
Leadership Moments All professional organizations have a set of rules and norms for conducting everyday business. While most of these stated regulations are, by and large, unproblematic, there are many occasions when a seemingly straightforward policy is neither satisfactorily established nor practiced. This is a perennial source of executive despair. At times like these it is tempting to get cynical. One frequently hears the refrain that certain things look good only on paper, and cannot be implemented on the ground. But look at it another way, and you will find that these are precisely the opportunities for exercising leadership: these are leadership moments. Here are some examples: 1. Take a simple matter like the misuse of office stationery. If senior executives believe that this is an issue within the organization then it certainly needs to be addressed. Probably the amount lost in monetary terms is not much, but it is symptomatic of a serious flaw in office morale. It would have a great demonstration effect on the staff if, for example, senior executives would go across from their offices, walk past other employees, and do a significant chunk of their photocopying themselves. 2. Office punctuality is often quite a nettlesome affair. Senior executives can once again set an example by adhering to office timings. On occasions, they could come in a little earlier and seen to be fully set for the day by the time the office hours commence. This again would be a very demonstrative maneouvre designed to send a message to everybody- from the telephone receptionist upwards. Office attendance and punctuality are bound to improve as a consequence. 3. The injunction against making personal calls on the company paid mobile phone is also quite often a niggling proble m. Senior executives can set the tone by highlighting all personal calls (both local and outstation) and reimburse the company for such calls. Such a practice again is very demonstrative in nature. Everybody will know about it. Even when certain matters appear trivial, a demonstrative exercise in leadership has quite an impact down the line. It is up to the senior executives to devise how exactly they would like to take advantage of these leadership moments. They should be crafted to suit the natural inclinations of the executives so that they do not become one-off affairs. But most importantly, make sure that these leadership moments are demonstrative and easily visible to the naked eye. Write back to us your views and if you would like to receive a soft copy of Eye for Integrity please send your e-mail address to eforintegrity@in.kpmg.com.
This monthly issue is provided to you by KPMG – Business Ethics & Integrity Services. Contact Dr. Dipankar Gupta, at 4B, DLF Corporate park, DLF City, Phase – III, Gurgaon – 122002, or call at (91-124) 6549191 with your questions and comments. Visit us at our website at
http://www.in.kpmg.com All information contained here is of a general nature and is not intended to be an opinion of the Firm. Although we endeavour to ensure its timeliness and accuracy, no one should act upon it without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the facts of the particular situation.