Too Big to Fail?

BBC radio interviewed a past member of the British Government speaking about the failure of leadership at Barclay’s bank.  At a recent panel discussion the former official said the financial sector had moved from “too big to fail” to “too big to behave.”  This sentiment caught my attention.  How often has social sector scandal erupted when an organization or an individual became too powerful and suddenly common sense and regulation were tossed aside to keep a ‘good thing going?’


If you have assembled a committed group of followers they will be quick to reenforce and remind leadership of the group’s values.  If the group’s point of intersection with organization purpose is unclear there is a vast frontier of possible values.  The lawless western town becomes run by those that can manipulate the community and too big to behave is the lowest common denominator.


How do we ensure that we are creating tribes that have clear points of confluence and commitments?