I
inclusivity, 83–90
inertia, 227
infighting, 59. See also workplace politics
inflammatory language, 119
insignificance, feeling of, 182
internal glass ceiling, 164–165, 171
Investor Day (Encore), 183–187
J
judgments
avoiding judgmental language, 119
benefits of empathizing instead of judging, 197
emotional safety and, 101
K
Koch, Greg, 180
L
Learning as Leadership (LaL), 6–10
learning goals, 46
Levy, Carole, 161
listening skills
constructive communication, 122–130
reversing downward spirals, 113–121
toxic habit of being right, 105–112
loops (self-fulfilling prophecies), 65–69, 74, 119
Lund, George, 114, 122, 133, 134–137, 139–149
M
Macadam, Steve, 138
“make others good”, 145–149
“making others bad”, 144–145, 148
Masih, Ashish, 191, 196, 198–199
mind chatter, 17, 53, 185, 231. See also desired and dreaded images
morale
alignment between teams and, 113
layoffs and, 96
noble goal and, 209
motivation
effect of behavioral patterns on life course, 159–166
egosystem, 73
emotional clarity and, 44–45
fear of failure as, 215–216
noble goal, 203–210
power of commitment in face of failure, 210–219
N
noble goal, 203–210, 216–217
non-self-worth goals, 46
Nuer, Claire, 171–172, 198, 218
Nuer, Noah, 50–51
O
offensive ego, 131–139
Olivier, Marc-André, 94
“One Team, One Dream” initiative, 205–206
P
Peltz, Nelson, 2, 49
perception gap, 147, 170, 195
performance anxiety paradigm, 215–216
personal mastery, 121
personal responsibility, 183–190
personal value. See also desired and dreaded images
personal success as measurement of, 215–216
preoccupation with self-worth, 11
putting aside preoccupation with, 197
perspective, reframing, 54
pinches
biases and blind spots, 158
defined, 52–53
sorting, 53–55
power and influence
feeling of powerlessness
executives, 178–183
how individual can influence collective, 197–198
noble goal and, 203–210
R
reactive behavior
conflict avoidance, 60, 157
defensive and guarded, 61
dysfunction and, 57–63
overview, 57–60
overwhelmed, 61
versus sorting pinches, 55
tactical, 61
Us vs. Them dynamics, 61
reframing perspective, 54
“right” behavior, trap of, 44
Rikhye, Manu, 48–49, 76, 80, 104, 204, 213, 217
S
safe spaces, creating, 96–104. See also
emotional safety
sarcasm
damaging effects of, 15, 19–20
effect of eliminating from interactions, 100–101
self-awareness
Amy Anuk, 159–166
developing, 121
of leaders and executives, 156
self-fulfilling prophecies, 68
self-fulfilling prophecies (loops), 65–69, 74, 119
self-preservation behaviors, 231
self-serving biases, 73
self-worth, preoccupation with, 1–13
self-worth goals, 46
sexism/gender bias
experience of Amy Anuk, 155–158
perception gap between men and women, 170
silos, 61. See also Us vs. Them dynamics
Sinek, Simon, 206–207
“strong ego” mentality, 13
sympathy, 95
Syran, Jim, 91, 92–94, 100, 108, 208
T
tactical and overwhelmed reactions, 61
task-driven leaders, 13
360-degree feedback
Amy Anuk, 160–161
Brandon Black, 9–10
transparency
desired and dreaded images and, 19–20, 62–63
emotional safety and, 89
triggers
acknowledging, 111
identifying, 55, 75, 119–120
knee-jerk reactions to, 38
pinches and, 52–54
recognizing, 20–29, 52
sharing, 128
value of defusing, 112, 174
trust
inclusivity and, 83–90
workplace politics and, 63–69
turf wars, 61. See also Us vs. Them dynamics
U
unconscious decisions, 164
underperformance, effect on egosystem, 215
undetected prejudices, 156
Us vs. Them dynamics, 61, 70–75, 115
acknowledging, 120
aligning on collective goals, 121
feeling of powerlessness, 178–183
India versus United States job
equation, 96–99
opening doors/dialogue, 190–202
personal responsibility, 183–190
understanding role in, 120–121
V
value. See personal value
VEDEC (vulnerable, empathetic, direct, exploratory, and caring), 127–130, 146, 173
visionary thinkers, 13
vulnerability. See also “at the source” mindset
Amy Anuk, 172–175
authenticity and, 166–171
comfortability with showing, 101
creating safe spaces, 96–104
emotional safety and, 83–90
empathy and, 91–96
feeling unsafe versus feeling
challenged, 103
growing comfortable with, 101
vulnerable, empathetic, direct, exploratory, and caring (VEDEC), 127–130, 146, 173
W
WeLead training program, 59–60
Women@Encore program, 171, 174
workplace politics
cultural breakdowns, 75–82
reactive behavior and dysfunction, 57–63
trust and, 63–69
Us vs. Them dynamics, 70–75
Z
zero-sum mindset, 216
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Brandon Black
Brandon Black retired as the chief executive officer and director of Encore Capital Group in 2013. During his nine years as president and chief executive officer, the company built significant cost and operational advantages, expanded into new asset classes, and made acquisitions that established Encore as the industry’s leading debt management and recovery solutions provider. In 2011, Encore started the Consumer Credit Research Institute, a groundbreaking effort to develop new knowledge about low- and moderate-income consumers using state-of-the-art research and fieldwork techniques. In addition, in 2013, the Great Places to Work Institute ranked Encore’s subsidiary in Gurgaon, India, as the 14th best organization in the entire country.
Brandon earned an MBA from the University of Richmond and a bachelor’s of business administration degree from the College of William and Mary.
He is currently the president of the board for the Country Montessori School and the chairman of the board for Santa Fe Christian Schools. He also serves as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for a foster youth.
Shayne Hughes
Shayne
Hughes is president of Learning as Leadership, a culture change and leadership development firm serving the private and public sectors. His expertise in creating cultures of open communication and collaboration has led to substantial improvements in organizational and personal performance for such clients as Fairchild Semiconductor, NASA, Sandia National Laboratories, Shell Oil, and Capital One, among others. He is also experienced in the complex dynamics of family businesses.
Mr. Hughes has taught leadership at the University of Michigan’s Executive MBA Program and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He is a frequent keynote speaker at many conferences and corporate retreats.
Fluent in French, Mr. Hughes earned his B.A. from the University of California–Berkeley and completed graduate studies in group facilitation at the University of Tours in France. His writing has been published in Harvard’s Du Bois Review, Diversity Executive magazine, www.Forbes.com, and Chief Executive magazine. He blogs for the Huffington Post.
Mr. Hughes also authored the coming-of-age memoir When the Running Began, in which he shares authentically how the pains of his past became infused with substance abuse and the coping strategies of his ego, and what it took to grow beyond them.
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