2/27/10

What Are The Human Dynamics of Your Organization?

February 27, 2010

Based on the current leadership of your organization, what are the human dynamics within your company?

In my work as a consultant, facilitator, change agent and speaker, I typically have the opportunity to get “inside the head” of many owners, presidents, CEO’s and other executives. In my conversations I always wonder, “….what kind of a business owner/executive are you really? One who takes action and exemplifies the true meaning of a leader or one who sits by and waits for someone else to get it done for you?”

One commonality that is absolutely for certain in my mind is a phrase I coined a while back and seems to ring true of late, more than ever. And that phrase is, “Rationalization to Justify Complacency.” The business owners/executives I am speaking about are those who almost always seem to have something going wrong within the organization. This includes employee retention, sales, costly errors, undertone of dissention and poor performance to name a few.

When I question executives about these issues, they almost always find a way to explain it to me so that they rationalize their position to justify their complacency. I encourage these people to make a decision of getting in the game totally or stepping back and getting somebody into the team leader role that will perform to a level that they believe they currently do.

I had a president of a company tell a bank board recently that he was amazed at how I (George) related to his employees and got them to do things that he only wished he could get them to do. Nice compliment to me but why doesn’t he take inventory of his own methodology and attempt to understand why that phenomenon took place? It’s because he is being dealt lip service and being told what he wants to hear by a select few and is not seeing the whole picture, not recognizing the signs and not listening effectively. Or maybe it’s just easier to be complacent and let it be business as usual.

In another case I met with a friend who told me about one of his long time employees resigning. I stated that he had many years invested in this employee and I personally viewed the man as a key player in his organization. I even made statements like, “he has always been first one in and the last one out.” I asked myself over and over, what happened (pain) early on that this key employee felt it necessary to resign? If you remember articles I’ve written in the past, I’ve made the statement that employees quit their bosses not their company.

I asked my friend if he tried to save the employee. My friend said, “well it sounded like he made up his mind to leave and I doubted I could talk him out of it.” The fact remains he didn’t try but what makes it worse is he didn’t try to immediately try to get to the bottom of why. But most importantly he didn’t react months early when the signs were there. He didn’t react the day the termination notice was given. He, in my humble opinion justified his complacency by rationalizing why he hadn’t been the “in tuned” leader he should have been.

As most of you who either know me personally or through my writings, I am very passionate about my work and people issues. I’m not trying to be cruel here, but the reality is in order to be a leader you need to be a true example of a person that people WANT to follow and not HAVE to follow. You must demonstrate wisdom, ethics, fairness, ability and willingness to listen to all who feel the importance of speaking to you with regards their fit into and the well being of your organization.

When you sit at the top of the pyramid and IF you believe in your own heart that nobody can nor does perform as good as you, then listen up because I’m here to tell you that thinking is a crock of buffalo dung. Why do you think the top management roles are near the top of a pyramid?

They are there to be the leader they are not to be on the only person who can do “it” or the only one who is right. Picture the pyramid upside down with the point down. If you are the only one who can run the company, make the decisions, make the sales, build the product and/or call shots then what happens if you come out from the upside-down point? The pyramid would start to crumble. And in many cases in 2009 and probably in 2010 there will be a great deal of crumbling.

This last week has been replete with horror management of people stories that have come to me in person, via telephone and Email and I just felt I needed to bring this issue to light again. True leaders don’t rationalize their short comings. Leaders lead…leaders empower employees to lead and grow….leaders are champions for their employees…leaders demonstrate an undying compassion…leaders allow employees to become responsible for their actions…leaders are trainers, cheerleaders and counselors….leaders are confident, flexible and fabulous LISTENERS. So many times the answers are right before you if you would just listen and recognize the signs and not justify your complacency through rationalization that you are always right. You might ask yourself, what really is the human dynamics of our organization?

I certainly hope week one of March 2010 becomes a very rewarding one for you XXX and your entire organization. You have the POWER to make it GREAT!

Your comments are always welcome and if I can be of any assistance call or write and I will respond immediately!

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Grinnell, Iowa