“Although it is easy to see that many leaders have lost integrity, I would argue that it is much, much more than that. They have lost their dignity; they have lost our respect; and worst of all, they have lost our trust.”
These words were spoken by Rande Somma, author of Leadersh!t: A Look at the Broken Leadership System in Corporate America That Accepts Leaders Who Are Really Good at Being Bad.
With over 40 years of experience in business, including several leadership positions, Rande has witnessed various things in the context of leadership that deeply disturbed him. These observations and experiences served as the inspirational pull behind his new book.
In this interview with Jennifer Brown Banks, Rande gives us a glimpse into his background; the story behind Leadershit; and details about his scholarship fund.
Can you tell us a little about who you are and your background?
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. My mother and father were both high school dropouts. We lived in a 700 square foot house so we were a very average middle-income family. I enjoyed participating in a number of sports and, even though I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh since 1973, to this day I am a big Steelers fan.
1973 was a year of many firsts. I received my Bachelor’s degree from Robert Morris University’s School of Business. I married my wife and best friend Georgia (just celebrated our 47th anniversary). We relocated to live in Reading, Pennsylvania and I started my professional career as a Junior Buyer in a machinery plant.
In 1988, I joined Johnson Controls Incorporated’s (JCI) Automotive Operations as Sales Manager for the Chrysler Business. I was later promoted to President of the Automotive Group’s North American Operations. Three years after that I was elected a Corporate Officer and President of the Automotive Group’s Operations World Wide. Over my fifteen-year career with JCI, we had become a truly international Fortune 100 company. When I left JCI in 2003, the company’s had approximately $20 billion in annual sales; over 250 facilities in 26 countries; technical centers in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China’ and approximately 75,000 employees worldwide.
After leaving JCI, I started my own consulting firm focused on coaching, mentoring and leadership development. I also sat on several boards of directors of profit and non-profit, as well as private and public organizations. In addition, I am a member of the Robert Morris University’s Business School’s Board of Visitors, and was honored to be the commencement speaker at the 2015 graduation ceremony.
What was the inspiration behind Leadersh!t?
I felt I needed to write this book for several reasons.
First, every organization has a mission statement, vision statement and values that essentially established the culture and guide their decisions. As I sat many closed-door meetings, I learned that the way things operated and how decisions were made had very little alignment with those missions, visions or values.
Second, as I became more and more upset with what appears to be a systemic leadership culture in our country, it struck me that there are victims of this culture where it is acceptable for leaders to surrender their duties to their self-interest. Those victims are the people that depend on those leaders to be authentic in terms of character and talent. In this system, those people shift from being organizational assets to simply line items on the spreadsheet.
Third, the corporate American leadership has descended so deep into leadershit, the problem needs to be addressed.
While I knew I could not fix the problem, I also couldn’t just look away. So, I wrote this book as a way to try to help.
What are some leadership issues addressed in Leadersh!t?
In the past, leaders in corporate America were selected because of their integrity, authenticity, performance and their ability to lead. Today, financial gain is the focus. My book looks at lowered standards for leaders, higher compensation, and the path of convenience, fraud, greed, and corruption that leaders are more often choosing over obligation to their duties.
While corporate America is the focus of my book, I shared some stories where I personally witnessed leadership’s total disregard for stated duties, obligations and responsibilities – legally, ethically and morally. And that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that there are many people who are depending on their leaders to never surrender their duties to their self-interest. And they, eventually and in some way, become victims.
Also, I make the case and conclude that the broken leadership culture exists in other companies, industries and in other leadership situations. We see it in corporate America, politics, academia, religion and yes, even parenting.
Essentially, the current leadership system doesn’t serve us anymore; therefore, this system is the problem.
How has your book been received thus far?
In addition to the reviews on Amazon, I have been in touch with folks representing different businesses and industries from around the world, including Yokohama, Japan and Munich, Germany. I was amazed at the two things in common from their feedback.
First, they were all working in organizations managed by leaders that made far too many decisions that were completely inconsistent with the company’s stated mission and values. This dynamic made them feel like they were trapped in the dilemma of either selling out on their own personal values in order to conform to the organization’s true culture, or to put their position with that organization in jeopardy by not abandoning their values. While the book did not give them the answers to their dilemmas, it enabled them to understand exactly why they found themselves in that position.
Secondly (and by far the most fulfilling for me), so many of them said that by having a better understanding of today’s broken leadership culture, it was cathartic to know that they were not the problem, rather it was the system they were operating in.
Tell us about your “Integrity First” Scholarship program?
After years of achieving so much success in our lives, my wife and I decided to “give-back” to organizations that had added significant value to our life’s journey. One of those organizations was my alma mater, Robert Morris University.
Eleven years ago we established the Rande & Georgia Somma “Integrity First” scholarship program. In addition to awarding five students $5,000.00 scholarships each year, Business School students are invited to express their views on how an organization or individual operating grounded in integrity, ethics and morality is not mutually exclusive from achieving their highest aspirations. In fact, in the right leadership culture they are quite compatible.
Since its inception, we have awarded scholarships to over 50 students. Formal presentation of the scholarships is made at an annual dinner and Ethics Workshop typically attended by approximately 250 students.
I am grateful to the Business School’s Dean, faculty and staff for their hard in providing me this platform. Feedback from students over the years has been amazing and quite fulfilling.
Any final words here?
In my opinion, the leadership culture in this country in general is upside-down. It’s a culture where “Bad is Normal, and Good is Bad”. In my lifetime, there has never been a time when it took so much courage to consistently do the right thing. There was a time when true leaders were driven by integrity in choosing from among several ways to achieve goals and the awful feeling of shame to deter them from drifting off course. Based on my experiences, and feedback from many of those who read my book, today’s leadership culture embraces neither.
Question is, how do we individually and collectively effect the necessary corrections in this broken leadership culture?
To learn more about Rande Somma or to order a copy of Leadersh!t visit his site:
https://leadersomma.blogspot.com/p/leadership-quotes.html