{"id":311805,"date":"2025-11-22T18:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/culture-starts-at-the-top-the-leadership-that-works-newsletter\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T18:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:28:11","slug":"culture-starts-at-the-top-the-leadership-that-works-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=311805","title":{"rendered":"Culture Starts at the Top – The Leadership That Works Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/p>\n

ConantLeadership Founder & CEO, Doug Conant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

F<\/span>ounder\u2019s Corner: What\u2019s Doug Watching & Reading?<\/span><\/h3>\n

A new feature in our newsletter where we highlight a few resources that our Founder & CEO,\u00a0Doug Conant<\/a>, has recently found insightful and\/or inspiring.
<\/span>
1.<\/span>\u00a0BOOK:\u00a0Leading with Aliveness<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Mette Norgaard<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

From Doug:\u00a0\u201cI have known Mette for the better part of three decades. We have taught leadership together, authored a NYT best-selling book,\u00a0<\/em><\/span>TouchPoints<\/span><\/a>, together, broken bread together, and shared some amazing experiences, a few of which are chronicled in her new book,\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Leading With Aliveness<\/span><\/a>. One of the joys of my work life has been exploring the nooks and crannies of leadership with her.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Her perspective has always enriched my learning, and I know it will do the same for you<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0BOOK:\u00a0Leadership Toolkit for Asians<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Jane Hyun<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Doug: \u201cJane has been an inspiration to me for quite some time. Her work is important and tangibly helps build higher-performing, diverse organizations. This book, while developed to speak particularly to Asians, is helpful and practical for leaders across backgrounds. I recommend it.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

3. BOOK:\u00a0Strong Ground<\/a>\u00a0by Bren\u00e9\u00a0Brown<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

From Doug: \u201cI recently started reading Bren\u00e9\u00a0\u2018s\u00a0latest book<\/a>\u00a0on \u201cthe lessons of daring leadership, the tenacity of paradox, and the wisdom of the human spirit,\u201d and it\u2019s no surprise to me that her thinking is very aligned with my own. She really gets it. Lots to uncover for leaders of all stripes.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some bonus material,\u00a0re-visit Doug\u2019s appearance on Bren\u00e9\u00a0Brown\u2019s podcast<\/a>, where they talk about finding and telling your leadership story.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0ARTICLE: \u201cFrom Words to Action: Leading with Purpose in a Shifting Landscape<\/a>\u201d by Daryl Brewster<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Doug: \u201cThe key challenge for leaders today is to craft a values-driven team and enterprise purpose that transcends the ordinary and then to consistently bring it to life in tangible ways in the here-and-now. Daryl Brewster, CEO of CECP, illustrates this well in\u00a0this piece<\/a>.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

\u2018CEO of the Year\u2019 Says Culture Starts at the Top<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0this interview with\u00a0Chief Executive<\/em>\u2018s newly crowned \u2018CEO of the Year,\u2019 Dave Ricks<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0who\u00a0has steered Eli Lilly\u00a0\u201cinto the most valuable pharmaceutical outfit in history,\u201d he imparts many leadership gems. Some of the most illuminating passages come from Ricks\u2019 insights about the paramount importance of company culture, which he says, is a job \u201conly the CEO can do,\u201d meaning the tone must be set at the top. He says one of the most powerful tests of company culture is \u201chow you react when things go wrong.\u201d And he challenges CEOs to lead by example, saying the most effective leaders \u201cact with integrity, pursue the mission of the company, put the interests of customers first,\u201d and they do those things even when under pressure and in tough conditions. Ricks says it\u2019s in the most challenging moments that people notice if a CEO is a person of their word, and they absorb the leader\u2019s cues about the behavioral model for the organization and internalize them. Overall, he says: \u201c<\/span>Culture is formed by doing the work and then, as a leader, leading the work in a way that creates a pattern people can see that is successful and they follow themselves.\u201d Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

**For more insights on how top CEOs create winning cultures,\u00a0explore this conversation between Bill George and Doug Conant<\/a>, which explains that the best leaders are both \u201ctough-minded on standards and tender-hearted with people.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Leaders, Don\u2019t Get Too \u2018Cozy\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\u201cEveryone has a choice in life. You can either be cozy\u2014or you can fly,\u201d says Kellogg School senior fellow Sanjay Khosla in\u00a0this\u00a0KelloggInsight<\/em>\u00a0piece on how to stay shar<\/span><\/a>p in a competitive landscape. Khosla\u2019s warning is: \u201c<\/span>Being cozy is dangerous because it lulls people and organizations into repeating what once worked, even as the world around them changes.\u201d He shares four tips for recognizing when coziness has turned into complacency\u2014and how to turn things around.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Focus on the future<\/span><\/strong>. \u201cOne hallmark of being cozy is clinging to what worked yesterday . . .\u00a0\u00a0what worked yesterday may be the very thing that prevents growth tomorrow. So leaders have to be brutally honest with themselves about the life cycles of even their most reliable products and processes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Dare to dream big<\/strong>. \u201cIf getting ready to fly means looking forward and avoiding assumptions about what has worked in the past, it also means summoning the courage to act decisively. Flying requires setting audacious targets and empowering teams to pursue them.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Disrupt yourself (before others do)<\/strong>. \u201cTo fly, you also need the courage to break your own rules . . . the upside of disrupting your business model is that you can unlock new growth.\u201d He adds, \u201cwhile disruption feels very risky, that is where real breakthroughs come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Gather diverse opinions<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cNot every attempt to fly will succeed. Leaders should read every decision with an eye on when to double down and when to walk away. In the process, they should seek as much input as possible.\u201d Khosla recommends what he calls a \u201cDiscovery Workshop,\u201d\u00a0which is \u201ca series of discussions that begin by opening the floor to a wide range of ideas before then narrowing those ideas down to the most-promising options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t \u2018DiSSS\u2019 this Method for Learning New Skills<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\u201cAs\u00a0<\/span>technology<\/span>\u00a0advances, skills are becoming more obsolete at an alarming rate,\u201d and, \u201cto remain competitive in your career or simply maintain your brain\u2019s sharpness, you need a reliable way of learning,\u201d writes Deanna Ritchie in\u00a0this\u00a0Calendar\u00a0<\/em>coverage of Tim Ferriss\u2019s DiSSS Method<\/a>. The DiSSS method is devised to overcome the most common roadblocks to effective learning, which are \u201coverwhelm,\u201d \u201cinefficient practice,\u201d and \u201clack of consistency.\u201d There are four steps.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1.Deconstruction<\/strong>\u2014break it down<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201c<\/span>The deconstruction of a skill involves breaking it down into its smallest attainable components.\u201d Making a big task smaller helps you to \u201cstop seeing an overwhelming mountain and start seeing manageable steps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Selection\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014focus on what matters most.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAs soon as you\u2019ve broken down a skill into smaller parts,\u201d you can start prioritizing the components. \u201cA\u00a0<\/span>common trap is believing that you must know everything before you can get started,\u201d but it\u2019s better to create a focused plan of initial attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Sequencing<\/strong>\u2014put it in the right order.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Here, you should arrange your learning in a manner that logically builds on each other. As a result, frustration is prevented and mastery is accelerated . . .\u00a0\u00a0b<\/span>y following the correct sequence, you can achieve quick wins and establish a solid foundation for deeper learning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Stakes\u2014create accountability.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cThe truth is, most people don\u2019t quit because they can\u2019t learn new skills. They quit because nothing is at stake. When\u00a0motivation\u00a0is lacking, it tends to fade away. To keep yourself moving, you need to create consequences and rewards. . .\u00a0\u00a0even small stakes can make a significant difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.
<\/span><\/p>\n

**For more on this,\u00a0explore our 6-step BLUEPRINT process for lifting your leadership to new heights<\/span><\/a>, which focuses on breaking down the craft of leadership into small, incremental steps to help you achieve breakthrough.<\/em><\/p>\n

Beware the Rise of AI-Generated \u2018Workslop\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0this piece in\u00a0The Conversation<\/em><\/span><\/a>, business school professors Steven Lockey and Nicole\u00a0Gillespie sound the alarm about a rising scourge of AI \u2018workslop\u2019 that, contrary to AI\u2019s promise of streamlining and turbo-charging workstreams, is actually slowing productivity. The authors cite their research which shows \u201ca staggering two-thirds (66%) of employees who use AI at work have relied on AI output without evaluating it\u201d for accuracy. This lack of quality control \u201ccan create a lot of extra work for others in identifying and correcting errors, not to mention reputational hits.\u201d<\/p>\n

The authors use a term that has entered the workplace lexicon to help describe this troubling phenomenon: \u201cWorkslop,\u201d which refers to \u201cAI-generated content that looks good,\u201d at least on a surface level, \u201cbut lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.\u201d Workslop often presents with a veneer of legitimacy but its content is not useful or applicable; it can show up in the form of grammatically correct, yet vapid sentences, slung together in a document, ultimately signifying nothing. The authors warn that \u201cbeyond wasting time, workslop also corrodes collaboration and trust.\u201d But it\u2019s not all doom and gloom. They say that AI, \u201cwhen applied to the right tasks, with appropriate human collaboration and oversight,\u201d can enhance performance. And it\u2019s up to all of us to get it right. Get the full story, including recommendations for both employers and employees in battling AI workslop and creating AI strategies,\u00a0here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

More from ConantLeadership<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

NOW AVAILABLE: The New STEPS Leadership Course for Administrative Professionals<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s time to STEP into your power:<\/strong> Inspired by Doug\u2019s Executive Assistant, Diana Hansen, and taught by Doug himself, a Fortune 500 CEO, this groundbreaking leadership course teaches the same 6-step BLUEPRINT process we use to train senior executives, customized for the\u00a0true\u00a0engine of the C-Suite: Administrative Professionals and Executive Assistants.<\/span><\/p>\n

For too long, administrative professionals have been the secret to the organization\u2019s success.\u00a0Now, the secret\u2019s out. This is leadership training powerful enough for the boardroom, but optimized for\u00a0every\u00a0room\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0in.\u00a0No more gatekeeping leadership skills. We\u2019re taking elite-tier leadership training out of the corner office and into your living room, with accessible, self-paced, online programming built for real life.
>>Learn more about the course<\/a>
>>For a limited time, use code\u00a0LAUNCH10\u00a0for 10% off registration<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
In\u00a0Doug Conant\u2019s past conversation with Dan Pink<\/a>, author of multiple bestselling books on leadership and human behavior,<\/span>\u00a0the two panelists share the evidence-based ways to plan your day for maximum impact.
**For more from these panelists, you can access a video replay of Doug\u2019s most recent conversation with Dan Pink, on the power of regret,\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

September\u2019s\u00a0Leadership That Works\u00a0Newsletter<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0last month\u2019s newsletter:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Five crucial conversations, what Doug\u2019s reading and watching, lessons from Costco on enduring success, the \u2018RULER\u2019 framework, what makes a \u2018contemplative leader,\u2019 the ethics of the AI race, and\u00a0more<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"AmyAbout the Author:\u00a0<\/strong>Amy Federman<\/a>\u00a0is ConantLeadership\u2019s Director of Content and Editor in Chief, and co-author with Doug Conant of the WSJ bestseller, The Blueprint<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Header photo by Philippe BONTEMPS<\/a> on Unsplash)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n