StrategyDriven

“Midshipmen will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will they mislead or deceive anyone as to known facts. A midshipman will be truthful, trustworthy, honest and forthright at all times and under all circumstances.

Midshipmen are presumed to be honorable at all times and to possess moral integrity in the fullest sense and will be treated accordingly, unless they prove otherwise by their words or actions.

Midshipmen should neither permit nor accept anything which is not just, right, and true. They should do the right thing because it is right, not because of fear of punishment.”

The Honor Concept
United States Naval Academy

It is the privilege of professional executives and managers to lead the men and women of their organizations toward the achievement of mission goals. As such, these leaders are responsible for acting with the utmost integrity, leading in both a moral and ethical manner. Doing so promotes trust, accountability, and group cohesion; forming the foundation of high team effectiveness.

Of all the leadership lessons instilled in midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, none is more important than that of the Honor Concept. Indeed, none has shaped and defined my life, my way of being, more than the Honor Concept.

Ethical leadership is deliberate, embodied by a leader’s every word and deed and not limited by time or place. The ethical leader is known for his/her personal integrity, respect for others, and commitment to doing what is right, regardless of the consequences.

The midshipman’s Honor Concept needs no translation or interpretation. It is an elegant, simply stated set of personal and organizational values. While there cannot be enough said about the importance of the Honor Concept to executive, manager, and employee performance, it is a universal truth that without honor, without integrity, no one or organization can be truly successful.

Final Thoughts…

Integrity forms the foundation of every trusting relationship, without it teamwork breaks down. Individuals, not knowing whether or not they can rely on those they work with, become more and more self-reliant, self-serving, and self-focused in their efforts. Over time, success of the group becomes secondary to personal success. Efficiency declines as an ever increasing amount of effort is expending on follow-up, reminders, and, at times, pleading for work to be done; particularly if it does not directly benefit the individual performing it.

The strategy driven organization is one of individual and collective integrity. As such, the Honor Concept’s core principles are imbedded within the StrategyDriven principles and best practices and their absence reflected in the warning flags. Practices, processes, and behaviors explicitly representative of these principles are contained within the many Organizational Accountability and Diversity and Inclusion posts found on the StrategyDriven website.

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Nathan A. Ives is a 1992 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served with distinction as a line officer on the fast attack submarine, USS GROTON SSN694. Today, Nathan is a Strategy & Operations Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, a StrategyDriven contributor, and co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over fifteen years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 84% [?]

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag posts on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 2 - An Interview with Diana McLain Smith, author of Divide or Conquer: How Great Teams Turn Conflict into Strength explores the relationship challenges that can hinder optimal team performance and how to overcome them. During our discussion, Diana McLain Smith, author of Divide or Conquer and partner at the Monitor Group, a global management consulting firm, shares with us her insights regarding…

• the importance of relationships to team performance
• tools executives and managers can use to improve their business relationships
• how third parties support, accelerate, and solidify improved relationships
• how personality types, as defined by measures such as DiSC and MBTI, fit into her relationship improvement model
• the complex web of relationships that exist within organizations and teams

Additional Information

Complimenting the invaluable insights Diana shares in Divide or Conquer and this special edition podcast, are the additional relationship building materials and resources found on her websites, Diana McLain Smith (www.DianaMcLainSmith.com), Action Design (www.ActionDesign.com), and Monitor Group (www.Monitor.com).

Final Request…

The strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast !

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Diana McLain Smith, author of Divide or Conquer: How Great Teams Turn Conflict into Strength, is a partner at the Monitor Group, a global management consulting firm and founding partner of Action Design, a small firm specializing in organizational learning and professinoal development. For the past 25 years, Diana has advised leaders and their teams on how to build relationships strong enough to master their toughest challenges. She has taught courses and delivered lectures at the Harvard Law School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. To read Diana’s full biography, click here.

Nathan A. Ives is a Strategy & Operations Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, a StrategyDriven contributor, and co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over fifteen years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 55% [?]

StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag posts on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 1 - An Interview with Robert Thompson, author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable explores some of the unique leadership challenges associated with today’s business environment. During our discussion, Robert Thompson, author of The Offsite and founder of Applied Performance, a leadership and personal communications services company, shares with us his insights regarding…

• the five principles of the Leadership Challenge
• the differences between management and leadership
• whether leaders are born or developed
• the four questions executives and managers should ask of themselves to further develop their leadership abilities

Additional Information

Complimenting the tremendous insights Robert shares in The Offsite and this special edition podcast, are the additional Leadership Challenge materials and resources found on his website, Leader Inside Out (www.LeaderInsideOut.com).

Final Request…

The strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast !

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Robert Thompson, author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable, is the founder of Applied Performance, a leadership and personal communications services company for entry-level through chief executive officers. For the past 25 years, he has worked with a distinguished group of clients that include AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Sony, and Sun Microsystems. To read Robert’s full biography, click here.

Nathan A. Ives is a Strategy & Operations Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, a StrategyDriven contributor, and co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over fifteen years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 65% [?]

As a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, I learned several powerful leadership tools that convey confidence, competence, and responsiveness; ultimately enhancing my and the organization’s effectiveness at getting things done. One of these tools is the midshipman’s Five Basic Responses:

1. Yes/No, Sir/Ma’am
2. I’ll find out, Sir/Ma’am
3. No excuse, Sir/Ma’am
4. Aye, aye, Sir/Ma’am
5. The right answer

Powerful words that while not often used verbatim in the business world, convey a strong desire to maximize ones value to the organization. Examining each more closely reveals how this is accomplished.

1. Yes/No, Sir/Ma’am: Direct, to the point. Places the answer the questioner seeks at the forefront, immediately satisfying the information need and allowing for additional information to be offered as desired. Like the right answer, assuming the yes or no is correct, the response reflects favorably on the individual. Appropriate response to closed questions.
2. I’ll find out, Sir/Ma’am: A sign of both responsiveness and initiative. No individual knows everything or is expected to. Individuals who admit when they have a knowledge gap and a willingness to close that gap and report back in a timely manner are greatly respected. Only when an individual does not know information expected of his or her position, or when he or she does not follow through with acquiring and reporting on the unknown information, is the individual thought poorly of. Appropriate response to open questions the answer to which is not known.
3. No excuse, Sir/Ma’am: Assumption of responsibility for ones actions or inaction that leads to undesired consequences. This response should not be overused particularly in instances where a senior is trying to ascertain the causes of adverse outcomes.
4. Aye, aye, Sir/Ma’am: Direct, to the point, and responsive so long as the individual follows-up on the request. Appropriate response to action requests.
5. The right answer: When clear, concise, and to the point, the right answer presented confidently reflects favorably on the individual. Appropriate response to open ended questions.

The principles behind the Five Basic Response should not be dismissed because of the military-style language. Seniors, peers, and subordinates all appreciate direct, concise answers provided confidently and respect those who assume responsibility for their actions. Consider the following business-professional language for the Five Basic Responses:

1. Yes/No [plus a clear, concise explanation].
2. I don’t know [paraphrase the question] but I will research the answer and get back to you by [fill in the time and/or date].
3. I’m responsible for [paraphrase the adverse consequence]. Can we discuss how to resolve the situation and what I might do in the future to avoid [adverse consequence] from occurring again?
4. I’ll [paraphrase the action to be taken] and report back to you by [time and/or date the action will be completed].
5. [Clear and concise statement of the right answer.]

I find employing the principles of the Five Basic Responses in my professional life has helped me to earn respect as a leader; in turn enabling me to more effectively work with others to achieve value-adding objectives. I attribute this to the sense of confidence, competence, and responsiveness this approach helps me to exhibit as well as the garnering respect because of an appropriate assumption of responsibility.

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Nathan A. Ives is a 1992 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served with distinction as a line officer on the fast attack submarine, USS GROTON SSN694. Today, Nathan is a Strategy & Operations Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, a StrategyDriven contributor, and co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over fifteen years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 71% [?]