Grace Under Pressure: The Power of Decency in Leadership By Desiree Grace We’ve lost some great leaders in the electrical industry lately, people of real accomplishment and longevity. But what has me reflecting most is not just what they achieved, but how they did it. What stands out most is their decency . Leadership and decency are not mutually exclusive. You can be both a great leader and a decent human being. One of these leaders took the reins of a company after the founder retired. He grew the business, expanded into new sectors and geographies, and had a profound impact on the industry, the customers, the employees, and the communities where the business operated. He also had a personal impact. He was, as you would expect, highly intelligent. But more than that, he was polite, professional, and decent, with a dry sense of humor. Even in hard times, like during layoffs and pay cuts, he conducted himself with grace and a clear moral compass. Another leader comes to mind—a...

Have you tried to fit a square peg in a round hole?  It's a quick way to ruin your career ?  Just establish a reputation as a guy who “force fits” the wrong product into customer applications.  Customers will neither forget it nor forgive you for it.  Here’s a quick example.  I had a friend in the 80s who was so selfish he tried to make the wrong product fit for the customer.  My friend worked for a company that was offering a bonus for selling a particular product.  However, the product didn’t work as intended.  This friend and his customer spent weeks trying to make it work, but it was just the wrong product for the job.  Back then, without the internet or user groups, the customer realized that others had experienced the same problem.  The customer felt cheated and mistreated.  My friend, while happy with his fat bonus, ended up losing the customer's trust for the sake of a quick profit. He essentially sold something unsuitable ...