A Tale of Two CEOs — and a Leadership Lesson For The Rest
Recently, two media articles caught my attention. One was raving about the CEO of BHP for focussing on “Social Value” and another non-flattering article about the CEO of Rio Tinto who was forced to resign along with some Senior Executives for their callous indifference — and calls for investigations.
The Guardian reported that Rio Tinto blew up a 46,000-year-old rock shelter that was highly significant to the Aboriginal traditional owners
“The Rio Tinto chief executive, Jean-Sébastien Jacques, and two other senior executives are leaving the global miner after its board bowed to intense investor pressure for strong action over its decision to blow up 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.” ~ The Guardian
In August, a McKinsey article quoted the CEO of competitor BHP as follows.
Mike Henry said that “BHP’s resilience during the pandemic is built on a foundation of strong relationships fostered over the years: “This includes employees, but also communities, business partners, and traditional owner groups, who have come together to keep the business running.” ~McKinsey
The Guardian added that — “{Rio Tinto} blew up the rock shelters, which were highly significant to the area’s Aboriginal traditional owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, in May, so that it could mine better quality iron ore, despite knowing for years of their importance.”
This is a classic example of The Mousetrap Problem many organisations face, where everybody knows there is a certain problem, but no one is taking ownership, thinking it only the Mouse’s problem, and no one does anything about it. Later, the situation spirals out of control and blows up in the face and makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. Can you imagine the mine manager who probably highlighted the issue to the Senior Executives? They probably yelled, “Shut up… and blow it up!” Sounds familiar, isn’t it? Have you allowed your boss to ignore your alerts?
BHP’s CEO Mike Henry got his job in Jan 2020, right before the pandemic hit the economy. Still, his reported focus was on strong relationships and Social Value. “One of the things that we did right at the start of the COVID-19 crisis was to support our small, local, and indigenous suppliers by reducing payment terms from 30 days or more down to seven days. We knew that they would be hurting because of the pandemic, and we could play a role in supporting them. People remember things like that.”
“We knew that they would be hurting because of the pandemic, and we could play a role in supporting them. People remember things like that.”” ~Mike Henry
Food for Thought: What are The Mousetrap problems in your organisation that the top leaders are ignoring? When the focus shifts from short-term bonus to long-term mutual benefits by focussing on social value and achieving sustainable long-term returns, you are in a better place as an organisation playing for the long run (OR as Simon Sinek puts it — The Infinite Game). Great leaders tend to leave behind a legacy that contributes to the longevity of the organisations they lead. They focus more on sustainable results than superlative rhetoric.
Great leaders tend to leave behind a legacy that contributes to the longevity of the organisations they lead. They focus more on sustainable results than superlative rhetoric.
About the Author : Manoj Vasudevan is an internationally renowned Next Level Leadership Readiness expert, management consultant, and the World Champion of Public Speaking. He helps executives and entrepreneurs to break through to the Next Level in career, business, and life. Manoj is known for his expertise in simplifying complex topics into practical strategies. He is the CEO of Thought Expressions and holds an MBA from Imperial College, London. His books include the international bestseller Mastering Leadership The Mousetrap Way. and How to become the World Champion of Public Speaking. He speaks at international conferences, multinational companies, universities, and around the world. As a coach, Manoj has a proven track record in personal transformation and breakthroughs. CEOs, Senior Executives, UN Diplomats, Celebrities & Professionals from over 50 nationalities have benefited from Manoj’s coaching. To contact the author’s team, click here.
