My staff Bob Filner, Mayor of San Diego, started “intensive therapy”
yesterday for his sexual misconduct. He will still have a challenge when he returns to work. His has damaged his organization by his behavior and he will have to repair the damage. One of a leader’s primary responsibilities is to maintain an ethical climate that supports development of character. When an organization’s ethical climate nurtures ethical behavior, people will think, feel, and act ethically. They will internalize the aspects of sound character. The climate in the mayor’s office is not and has not been one of an ethical nature. I have never been to Filner’s office but I assume that morale is low.
Morale is an important intangible human element. It is a measure of how people feel about themselves, their team, and their leaders. Organizations achieve high morale through effective leadership, shared effort, trust, and mutual respect. High morale results in a cohesive team striving to achieve common goals. Competent leaders know that morale holds the team together and sustains it. Organizations with high morale are usually more effective. Unless Bob Filner can improve morale in his office, he will have difficulty achieving any goals that he has set for San Diego (http://clicktotweet.com/6Yg3e).
If Filner’s “intensive therapy” is successful, he will still need to improve the ethical climate and morale in his office. Here is what I recommend:
-Design the plan of correction together with his staff, and encourage them to take the lead.
-Agree on the required actions to improve morale and the ethical climate.
-Get the staff to buy into this plan if it is going to work.
-Assign responsibilities and establish a time line.
-Review the plan frequently, check progress, and modify the plan if necessary.
I wish Mayor Bob Filner the best of luck. I don't envy him the tasks ahead.
For more on developing the climate, see my e-book, Leadership for New Managers: Book Two, available at http://smashwords.com/b/300090.
yesterday for his sexual misconduct. He will still have a challenge when he returns to work. His has damaged his organization by his behavior and he will have to repair the damage. One of a leader’s primary responsibilities is to maintain an ethical climate that supports development of character. When an organization’s ethical climate nurtures ethical behavior, people will think, feel, and act ethically. They will internalize the aspects of sound character. The climate in the mayor’s office is not and has not been one of an ethical nature. I have never been to Filner’s office but I assume that morale is low.
Morale is an important intangible human element. It is a measure of how people feel about themselves, their team, and their leaders. Organizations achieve high morale through effective leadership, shared effort, trust, and mutual respect. High morale results in a cohesive team striving to achieve common goals. Competent leaders know that morale holds the team together and sustains it. Organizations with high morale are usually more effective. Unless Bob Filner can improve morale in his office, he will have difficulty achieving any goals that he has set for San Diego (http://clicktotweet.com/6Yg3e).
If Filner’s “intensive therapy” is successful, he will still need to improve the ethical climate and morale in his office. Here is what I recommend:
-Design the plan of correction together with his staff, and encourage them to take the lead.
-Agree on the required actions to improve morale and the ethical climate.
-Get the staff to buy into this plan if it is going to work.
-Assign responsibilities and establish a time line.
-Review the plan frequently, check progress, and modify the plan if necessary.
I wish Mayor Bob Filner the best of luck. I don't envy him the tasks ahead.
For more on developing the climate, see my e-book, Leadership for New Managers: Book Two, available at http://smashwords.com/b/300090.
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