I found the quote “How leaders behaved made a difference, regardless of culture (country)” to be particularly interesting. I find it to be true in my own life. Simple acts help the most. Having clear goals, showing up, and knowing people personally. Doing these simple tasks make you work better with people and show that you care. Having this as a baseline for whoever I interact with gives the impression that I want to be there and helps with getting respect from people. Having a successful leadership process is beneficial, the application may vary, but the core process is the same across cultures.

This connects to Treviño, Brown, and Hartman’s “Moral Person and Moral Manager.” They say that ethics has two parts, character and systems. Posner says what leaders do matters more than where they are from.  Treviño believes a moral person has good character and steady actions. A moral manager sets rules, rewards, and follows through. Together they show that values and systems shape work behavior. That behavior builds trust and gives results.

A manager who sets small goals and gives feedback does well as a leader. An example of this is Satya Nadella during COVID-19. He set guidelines for communication, gave flexible work schedules, and kept empathy for his employees. These habits and systems helped teams stay aligned and supported while plans changed fast. The other side shows up in the news, when a new leader fights the core culture, plans slow down or fail. When daily habits match shared values it does much better overall.

Barry Z. Posner, (2013),”It’s how leaders behave that matters, not where they are from”, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 34 Iss 6 pp. 573 – 587