Does organizational “virtuousness” pay? How do you help executives change their behavior when they have been successful despite their negative attitude? These are questions I come across often in my own professional career, with many executives struggling to establish virtuous behavior in today’s competitive corporate atmosphere. The good news is that recent studies have shown virtuous companies experience greater success and profitability than their low-hitting counterparts.
Judging by the current press, you’d believe most executives are crooks or jerks. This couldn’t be further from the truth, but the media likes to distort the picture because it primarily reports what sells: scandal. Luckily, there are a few ways for leaders to avoid scandal by understanding the impact virtue will have on their company and how encouraging behavioral changes through positive reinforcement can help when encountering a difficult executive.
Changing Scandalous Behavior
Most business executives are honest and treat people with respect, but it’s not uncommon to find a few bad apples in the bunch every now and then. Many of these “scandalous” executives have experienced success in their careers despite their negative characteristics, which only serves to further enable their behavior. Leaders today are often…
