Fish rot from the head down…

The more I read about leadership and try to comprehend it from an organizational perspective, the more I am reminded about this famous Russian proverb – “A fish rots from the head”.  An organization is a reflection of its top leader. Studying the fish video and learning from the simulations in class, there is a LOT to be said about where leadership actually stems from. It takes initiative, it takes change and the implementation of change to become a leader. I am not necessarily categorizing the “head” in the proverb as a CEO or anyone in a similar office but someone who can drive both the personal and organizational effectiveness to new heights. The fun environment in the Fish video, the working towards a common goal (in the case of the monks where respect for one another reigned supreme) all took a change…I’m still amazed at the lack of focus in an organization’s top leadership (including my present company) and what truly astonishes me is the lack of urgency when it comes to removing poor performing leaders. This, more often than not, leads to decreased productivity and staff morale. Leadership, in my opinion, has be held to a higher standard, especially when is comes to their ethics and moral perspectives. And when that happens that leader I believe would automatically rise to the helm of the organization to actually be a personification of all that it stands for…