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 Do as I say, not as I do....
So many organizations with which we work are undertaking major change initiatives. In several cases, the age-old adage "Do as I say, not as I do," seems to be the underlying theme of the supposed change. Senior Executives -- sometimes even project sponsors -- carefully articulate an improved model of behavior...and then promptly act in a completely contradictory manner. Not only does such action demonstrate a lack of accountability on the leader's part, but it seriously undermines the change initiative at hand.
Do you have examples of corporate "Do as I say, not as I do?" Here are a few scenarios we've seen.
IT Learning and Development Process Established....and Ignored
Take a new learning and development strategy at Company A. Stuck with a limited budget and IT training needs that far exceeded this budget, Company A's IT executive team painstakingly decides on the scope of the IT learning and development budget and institutes a prioritization process. In conjunction with the IT executive team, the director of learning and development communicates budget, prioritization, and training acquisition processes to all of IT. The senior vice president in charge of IT insists that no one will be allowed to deviate from the outlined budget or processes. What happens? This same senior vice president is the first one to violate the new rules. He bypassed the new processes and acquired staff training at a significant cost -- training that was not part of the company's strategic priorities and therefore was not included in the budget.
Outcome? Learning and development strategy suffers major credibility blow. Senior vice president apologizes and tries to win back the confidence of his staff.
Read more actual stories of corporate "Do as I Say, not as I Do!" . | 
