Last week Celine sang her farewell songs in Vegas. Five years of sold out performances. A friend of mine from Montreal attended the penultimate performance, not because she is a significant Dion fan but simply because she was in Vegas, and a good show is a good show after all. My friend observed that the most wonderful part of the performance was how Celine Dion was quick to recognize the contribution of others throughout the performance, paying suitable homage and giving the no doubt much deserved credit to other singers, dancers, and support crew who helped to make this show the sell out success it was. ‘Leadership’ was the word my friend used in this context. The singer had shown great leadership in her ability to include and recognize the skills and talents of others. A latte leader indeed. Trouble hits for all organizations, and those within it, when hierarchy overrrides not just recognition and acknowledgement, but reason. How do you reason from a place within the corporation when the leaders in the C suite cast the final vote or worse are simply not listening? When is solicited feedback really valued feedback and not just lip service? Jim Donald the Starbucks CEO has held on to a life lesson he learned from Sam Walton during his time at Wal-Mart where he learned to ‘ask the front line’ if you want to know what is wrong with your business. But if you ask, you must really listen, and if you listen , you must listen to the reasoning and not override it with the power associated with your job title…..now that’s a latte leader.
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