“Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value.”
– Albert Einstein
I was chatting with a CEO a few months ago and he was telling me about something some of the top executives in his business had done that he’d been shocked at.
I listened as he explained a set of circumstances that could only be described as ‘taking the p***’.
When he asked me what I thought about the situation there was only word that could describe the situation: Entitled.
The executives were behaving as if they were ‘entitled’ to taking liberties in the business and of course that meant there were other behaviours going on that were unseen.
When this happens, it’s the start of going backwards for a business – it’s a phase that has to be stamped out aggressively.
When people start to feel that they are entitled to things they wouldn’t normally be, it means their focus is drifting away from what made the business successful in the first place.
And the really difficult thing is getting people to see that this mindset has crept in – because most people who actually feel entitled, will tell you truthfully that they don’t think like that.
But behaviour and actions reveal where their mindset is truly at.
The Entitled mindset is driven by the question: “What can I do to help myself?”
Examples of entitled behaviour are an unduly high focus on money, perks, time off, holidays, any benefits, clock-watching, and ultimately stealing.
The preferred mindset is a Value-Driven one.
This is driven by the question: “What can I do to help you and the organisation?”
Examples of Value-Driven behaviour are pro-actively coming up with solutions, creating value, being an agent of change, thinking of the money in the business like it’s yours and a focus on creating real, lasting results in line with the business objectives.
The Value-Driven mindset is what every CEO/business owner/leader is looking for in their teams. The people who have it will always rise to the top.
Don’t fall under the illusion that it’s not in your team/organisation. Or that you’re immune to it…
Ultimately the CEO mentioned above owned the problem in that he realised he had allowed the situation to develop unseen – and this is easy to happen.
But it’s going to require work to change that mindset. Work that probably requires a ruthlessness that Entitled Mindsets despise.
But in a disrupted, fast-changing world that requires Value-Driven people more and more, this is necessary.
Which mindset are you seeing examples of around you? Entitled or Value Driven?
And what will you do about it?
Best,
Shane
ps – If you’re a Value Driven female business leader and would like to meet other like minded women, join me in Dublin on 12th April for the fifth Dinner For Ladies Who Don’t Lunch. This year the special guest is Breege O’Donoghue, one of the driving forces behind the international success that is Penneys/Primark. A fun and inspiring event, if you attend you just never know who you will be sitting beside. Booking here.
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