>And when we didn't perform well as a company, many of those around me >would scream: "Fire the f****** leaders!....
I agree with thoughts of Ben on the whole with one comment. I have
first hand experience in a corporation that fired an entrenched,
complacent GM and his staff. The new GM put down the law "we are going
to become a customer oriented organization". He proceeded to outline a
new business philosophy, strict quality measures, training programs
designed to empower the employee, and an incentive program for
reaching certain quality goals. Within a matter of months, that
company has shown a dramatic increase in quality and customer service.
It is clear to me that the employees, for the most part, wanted to
change. They simply lacked the leadership and the guidance to do so.
It's my experience that management cannot force employees to change,
but it can go a long way towards preventing them from doing it.