Courageous leadership: delivering results in turbulent times
| Date | 18 February 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-01-2020-0002 |
| Published date | 18 February 2020 |
| Pages | 59-66 |
| Author | Jack J. Phillips,Patti P. Phillips |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Courageous leadership: delivering results
in turbulent times
Jack J. Phillips and Patti P. Phillips
Abstract
Purpose –In uncertain times, courageousleaders must be in place, stepping forward to take action to
drive results. Because there is really no such thing as a natural-born leader, the organization must
constantly develop current and new leaders. Leadership skills and leader behavior are shaped and
molded over time, but also can be dramatically changed and improved with a variety of effective
leadership developmentprograms. The perplexing issue about leaders and leadership development is
the negative press it often receives. The root cause of this problem is not necessarily the content of
leadershipdevelopment programs or even theway that they are delivered, it is thedefinition of leadership
successand the success of leadership development.
Design/methodology/approach –The purposeof this paper is to illustrate the success of a courageous
leaderdoes not occur until impact is achieved in the organization.
Findings –The courageous leader is one who can deliver on all levelsof outcomes in the face of many
difficulties,challenges and uncertainties in ambiguousenvironments.
Originality/value –Great leaders deliver great results, including the impact they have on their
organizations or spheres of influence. Without impact, leaders are ineffective. To achieve success in
these turbulent times requiresleaders to be effective in delivering on five levels of outcomes, including
impact and ROI. The courageous leader is one who can deliver on all levels of outcomes in the face of
many difficulties,challenges and uncertaintiesin ambiguous environments.
Keywords Leadership, Measurement, Accountability, Evaluation,Return on investment
Paper type Conceptual paper
The dilemma
In a Sunday board meeting in London, in August 2019, John Flint, CEO of HSBC, was fired.
The move came after months of concern over Mr Flint’s leadership style and ability to take
decisive action. Mr Flint’s temporary replacement, Noel Quinn, brings pace, decisiveness
and ambition. Mr Flint had a long, 30-year career with HSBC, moving through different
departments and even working on trading floors across Asia, Europe and the USA.
However, before getting the CEO position, Mr Flint told colleagues that he preferred not to
be in the public eye and would become CEO out of a sense of duty rather than because he
woke up each day wanting it (Patrick, 2019).
When faced with a problem, he likedto spend time considering it and mapping out potential
actions and outcomes on pieces of paper. He often sat in meetings taking in information
with a pensive air, but without expressing his own views. Mr Flint sought to make HSBC a
more inclusive and pleasant place to work, developing a plan he called “Healthiest Human
System” to encourage a better work-life balance for employees. His messages resonated
with the bank’s staff, but his actions were short, and his results were disappointing. In
February, six months before he was fired, HSBC’s full-year earnings were worse than
expected, in part because costs were outweighing revenue growth. He did not deliver the
impact.
Jack J. Phillips and
Patti P. Phillips are both
based at ROI Institute,
Birmingham, Alabama,
USA.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-01-2020-0002 VOL. 19 NO. 2 2020, pp. 59-66, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 59
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