vol. XVII no. 2

				Page 5 Page 1 2 3 4 5 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT BUSINESS LEADERS FACE TODAY? WHA T IS THE ROLE OF ETHICS IN LEADERSHIP? HARDING: Credibility is one of the most important issues today. You have to answer questions of trust daily, and the answer is in living the values, demonstrating integrity constantly. The other critical concern is succession. Leaving a legacy is one of the key qualities of a good leader. BOYER: Behavior will dictate how people view your leadership. You can say one thing, but if your behavior is inconsistent with what you're saying, that creates credibility problems. The words and the behaviors have to sync. KAISER: Everything you do when you're a leader communicates something. I've received feedback from employees on how integrity is communicated through things as small as having real china and glassware in the break room. That says to employees we respect and trust them. CAMPANA: I think you've got to create a culture of ethical behavior in an organization. It starts with the CEO, but it has to be ingrained in an organization. WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING AT THE ROBINSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TO HELP OUR STUDENTS BECOME GREAT BUSINESS LEADERS? WAGNER: The Robinson College can enhance and solidify the basic blocking and tackling that they have got to have. Your graduates must have certain basic tools. BOYER: To have the right tools, students need to be exposed to processes in the classroom and the real world. The College and the business community can come together to make that happen. HARDING: One of the College's key obligations is to manage expectations. Today, we bring talented people into organizations, but they should understand that part of their growth process involves learning the intricacies of the organization. For example, at Solvay, if you want to move into sales or marketing, you've got to carry a bag. In other words, you've got to go out on the street and promote the product to physicians. By and large, no one is going to move into a senior management role in a commercial organization without having had that experience. KAISER: I agree you've got to focus on business fundamentals. With all the noise and clutter around us today, we might do better to return to the simplest definition of business: If you solve a customer's problem, you generate sustainable profits over time. Previous Page | Top

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