Benjamin B. Compton wrote:
> Any organization, be it a business, a local community, or a nation, if it
> is to survive, must have people in it who willingly accept responsibility
> for the problems that threaten it's survival. Those problems exist both
> within the organization itself, and without the organization.
>
> How many businesses bring in a new CEO with the expectation that this one
> person is going to change the entire organization and improve it's
> competitiveness? How many elected officials have been booted out of
> office, with the expectation that the new person will solve the problems
> the last one couldn't? The real work of saving an organization doesn't
> exist in the echelons of leadership; it exists in the bowels of the
> organization, the place where the people who are most affected by the
> problems reside!
>
> In my work at Novell I felt as responsible for the success of the company
> as did the CEO. My work was different from his, but I worked just as hard
> and just as smart as if I were the CEO. But not everyone felt the same
> way. Everyone had a different view about what their role was in the
> organization. And when we didn't perform well as a company, many of those
> around me would scream: "Fire the f****** leaders! Their the problem.
> We're just doing what we're told." This attitude says "The many are at the
> mercy of the few!" I don't buy it!
>
> Bennis goes on to make the point that truly great organizations are built
> upon the foundation of collaboration. They are inspired by a shared
> vision. And they are filled with people who have a passion for what they
> are doing. That is what I think is missing in our society: We're so
> focused on our differences that we forget there's common ground. Therefore
> we don't collaborate, we don't share visions, thus leaving our passions to
> do little but divide us.
Benjamin has certainly struck a cord that is most critical---the notion
that responsibility and leadership actually occurs on every level in the
organization. Companies that fail to realize or capitalize on this really
lose in the end. I have followed Dr. Miriam Kragness's (industrial and
organizational psychology, U. of Minnesota) work on organizational
leadership. She maintains that in a successful organization, leaders are
found at every level--from the boardroom to the mailroom, from the
chairperson's office to the customer service desk. This is especially
true in organizations that have abandoned elaborate hierarchies in favor
of a flatter, team-oriented approach to leadership and management.
Dr. Kragness's work poses a direct challenge by asking: "Are you preparing
your future leaders? Is leadership valued in your organization? Is your
environment open to different styles of leadership, from the boardroom to
the warehouse?" Just like wild geese in flight, she maintains that a
follower can become a leader and a leader can spend time as a follower.
Dr. Kragness developed an excellent leadership assessment instrument that
has multiple applications in leadership develoment programs. It is called
the Dimensions of Leadership Profile. If anyone is interested in
reviewing the profile, I would be willing to send it out to you at
wholesale cost ($6.50)plus postage $2.50). Or, if interested in just
reading more about it, you can visit http://www.carsonlearning.com.
Tom Sullivan, M.P.A.
Learning and Training Specialist
412-835-7341
--"Thomas J. Sullivan" <pga@bellatlantic.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>