Lee Thayer: His Thinking Regarding Leadership & High Performance Organizations

Thanks to dear friend and former outstanding Vistage Chair Jennifer Sert @Agility3Rl for sharing this article.

Suzanne Livingston's work with Vistage Chairs and other facilitators of C-Level groups focuses on "Unique Contribution."  What is it that I or you bring that is unique from all others based on how we think, who we are, what we do and all aspects of our lives summarized under culture and life experience.

When it comes  to reputation, it will be demonstrated and observed through our performance.  Our level of competence. Being in the learning mode, that is life long learner over the knowing mode.

As social/herd/pack animals what has been my/our contribution to the improvement of the human experience in our work, in our community, and in our contribution to fellow man?

Lee shares:

"A person’s reputation influences how others relate to and interpret that person. We are not privy to the processes by which others create us in their reality. This process of constructing social reality goes on around us interminably. People create the meanings of things (and of other people) in their talk about them."

"If you want to participate in the worlds thus constructed, you have to acquiesce to the realities that people construct for their minding of the world. We are born into influence. We have to live in influence, whatever direction it takes. We can participate in it consciously or not. But we cannot stop it. We cannot unilaterally control it. We may try to influence the worlds of others. But ultimately your reputation does not belong to you. It belongs to those who construct it in their talk about you."

"You are who you are primarily because that’s the way people see you. In the same way, the world is what it is because that’s the way we have been influenced to see it."

Thayer, Lee  (2010-09-22). Leaders and Leadership: Searching for Wisdom in All the Right Places (Kindle Locations 6444-6459). Xlibris. Kindle Edition.

You may want to go to Youtube and watch Dan Ariely on: The Cost of Social Norms  The social norm is based on relationships and trust.