Giving a Damn

In my job as a keynote speaker I’m fortunate enough to meet with a lot of leaders across all categories of industry. Quite often I’m asked what makes a great leader? I’ve come to appreciate that the great leaders are those who give a damn and that primarily separates them from the rest.
A great leader truly gives a damn about their people, the lives of the people, the challenges those people face, the conditions under which they work, and what’s going on in their world outside of just work. They give a damn about the culture of the organisation, the representation of their brand, how people feel about each other and the company.
Too many leaders are too caught up in their opportunity to be in front of an audience to spruik how good they and/or their company are. They’re so wrapped up in their own little world that they completely forget to give a damn about their people, the company, the brand, the culture and the general vibe of how people feel within their organisation.
I think any leader of any of industry, in any category and of any size should sit with their journal and say do I truly give a damn, and if I do have a way how do I display it? It’s not enough to take the glory that comes with the title of Chairman, CEO, or MD of a company.   In a future episode of the Mojo Radio Show our guest is Glenn Capelli, who discusses corporate culture and how it centres on culture and character.  To me character starts with truly giving a damn.