BossLady: ScoMo job scandal exposes fatal flaw

The debacle over former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s self-appointments is a lesson for every boss in Australia.

There is a saying that the fish rots from the head, which is why leaders must be trustworthy and transparent or the rot will ripple through your entire organisation.

Scott Morrison, it seems, missed this memo.

His admission that he secretly took on five portfolios without informing his cabinet is an example of what not to do in leadership.

He didn’t show trust or communicate honestly with the people who are effectively his executive team (his cabinet). When you fail to do this you cause confusion, chaos and disjointedness and it ripples down.

To lead a team, you need to be trustworthy.

You need to be able to trust your team and they should be able to trust you. Without trust and transparency, you are not fit to steer the ship and you cannot build a positive workplace. A toxic culture and miscommunication will seep in.

Australia's former prime minister Scott Morrison at the press conference explaining why he secretly swore himself in to five ministerial posts. Picture: AFP

SECRET BUSINESS

Secrets break trust and it can be broken in the tiniest of ways. You don’t have to tell everyone your entire business, but key team members or your board must be kept in the loop and be aligned.

Trustworthiness comes from being open and honest — something we expect from our elected members of parliament and the people leading our work teams and companies.

Lying by omission might not be considered as bad as lying outright, but it will not endear anyone to trust anything you say or do in future.

CEO and Founder of Western Sydney Business Women Amanda Rose. Picture: Toby Zerna

DECEPTION

I often see leaders using “word salad” to explain themselves over issues involving mistrust and deception — and they hope their colleagues, or the taxpayers, won’t question their jumbled reasoning.

But let me assure you, if someone knowingly deceives you, they will do it again.

Organisations need to understand that retaining someone who is untrustworthy is toxic.

If you have one bad apple in a group of fresh apples, that bad apple will make the rest go off.