Perspectives on Isle of Lewis

When Faced with a Divisive Employee

2012-02-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

Rick Boxx, President and Founder of Integrity Resource Center, describes a situation a CEO he knows had with a disruptive, divisive employee:
"A longtime employee of his had been an adequate performer in the organization for many years. As the business grew, and more interaction between him and others became necessary, however, this employee's shortcomings became obvious. He would deride other employees, stir up dissention, and even make inapprpriate remarks to--and about the business owner."
Naturally, no one wants to work with such a difficult person. Frustrations rise, morale goes down, and colleagues, customers and vendors get upset. So what do you do with such a problem person--especially if he or she is a longtime employee?
You can't ignore the person. You're going to have to intervene as quickly as possible and help get this person on the right track. If that is impossible, termination may be the only choice. To not take action is unfair to this emplyee, the employees with whom he or she works, and to the organization itself.

Leaders Come in All Shapes and Forms

2011-12-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Leadership style is not about fashion. It is about meeting the needs of followers and organizations. The demand of the situation, requirements of people, and particular challenges being faced result in a multitude of leadership style possibilities.

Plato reminds us that the unexamined life is not worth living. If you or I spent 27 years locked away in deprivation, we would have plenty of time to examine ourselves. Nelson Mandela was such a man. He faced enough trouble for several lifetimes of examination. Yet he was able to liberate a country from violent prejudice. He united whites and blacks, oppressors and oppressed. He believed that overthrowing apartheid and creating a nonracial democratic South Africa "was not a question of principle; it was a question of tactics."

Leaders come in all shapes and forms and intellectual directions. Like Mandela, leaders have the power to change people.

Be Prepared

2011-11-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ed Macauley is a former Boston Celtics basketball player who scored 11,234 points in ten NBA seasons and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960. His uniform number, 22, was retired by the Celtics. Three of his statements stand out.

1. "When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win."
2. "You always have to give 100 percent, because if you don't, someone, someplace, will give 100 percent and will beat you when you meet."
3. "Just remember that if you're not working at your game to the utmost of your ability, there will be someone out there somewhere with equal ability who is. And one day you'll play each other, and he'll have the advantage."

The message?

We must be prepared at all times. We must be prepared to give the game of life and business all we have.

Leadership Must-Do List

2011-11-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Leaders, even the good ones, make mistakes You have. I have. We all have. Sometimes we recognize them and overcome them. Sometimes we are oblivious to what we've done. Fortunately, we at least recognize those items in which we ought to be involved. My experience in working with leaders has resulted in the following things I hear most frequently mentioned that a leader must do.

1. Place a high value on people; take care of people.
2. Lead by being visible; manage by walking around (MBWA).
3. Have a clear, encompassing, far-reaching, and engaging vision.
4.Communicate the vision; deliver the message.
5. Maintain integrity and credibility; live the code.
6. Be trustworthy; trust others.

Be A Trailblazer

2011-09-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

When my wife and I lived in California (1992-99), there was a Presbyterian church within walking distance of our home. A small sign at the entrance to the parking lot said, "Enter to Worship"; at the parking lot's exit, another samll sign said, "Leave to Serve." Great advice for that church's worshippers.

Albert Schweitzer said, "In everyone's life at some time our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the human spirit." Have you been helped by someone or have you helped someone to rekindle that inner fire?

If not, as Stephen Curtis Chapman has written, "Saddle up your horses; we've got a trail to blaze."

Head, Hands, and Heart

2011-09-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

A listener's heart and head are involved in a message, and both can conceivably lead to agreement and support of the message by the listener's hands.

The head involves intellect and persuasion through logical and rational arguments. As James R. Lucas has written, "Leading with the head means that we should lead with the head by using it as a thinking tool, not a battering ram."

The heart involves excitement, passion, and fun. Perhaps that is why Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "Nothing every succeeds which exuberant spirits have not helped to produce. Both the head and the heart are involved in getting messages across.

The hands involve creation, demonstration, and involvement. Arnold Bennett wrote, "There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul."

So whether you are an idea person, an emotional and passionate person, or an action-oriented person, you have the ability to increase your effectiveness as a leader.

Mentoring

2011-08-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Disraeli, a former Prime Minister of England, said, "The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own." Therefore, good leaders deliberately seek out and find other possible leaders. Great leaders not only find those potential leaders but also mentor them to be great leaders. A mentor teaches, demonstrates, allows a protege to try, and evaluates the attempt. The mentor typically is perceived to have great relevant knowledge, wisdom, or eperience. The protege is perceived to have less knowledge, wisdom, or experience.

People I have mentored in business have gone on to become supervisors, managers, vice presidents, business owners, founders and co-founders, and top sales people. Those I have mentored in academia have gone on to become professors, department heads, deans, assistant deans, MBA directors, vice presidents, and presidents. The people I have mentored in public life have gone on to become state representatives, state treasurers, and civic club leaders. Those I have mentored in the spiritual arenas have gone on to become Bible class teachers, ministers, deacons, elders, and ministry directors.

Mentoring relationships have an important influence in professional development. The war for talent in the business world is always active. Thus you need to be all that you can be. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, said it well: "If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life." Find a mentor, or become one.

The Challenges of a Changing World

2010-10-12T12:23:00.000-07:00

"They don't make (or do) things like they used to!" Ever made that statement? With knowledge doubling every year or two, the only constant is change. The question is not, "Will change occur?' but rather, "When and how will change occur?"

Change comes to every avenue of life and to all organizations. There are global changes that may forever alter the modern-day organization. World events such as the end of communism in Russia, the disintegration of the eastern bloc, the problems in Iraq, Iran and Afganistan, and other socio-economic and political trends demand attention.

The last thing a fish notices about itself is that it lives in water. Leaders cannot afford to be this oblivious to their environmnet. They cannot ignore these shifts.

Transformational leaders employ the style that best suits the situation they face. They do not approach every situation in the same way. When something does not work the first time, they do not get a bigger hammer and hit it again. They restudy the situation and look for a better approach. They realize that style is not as important as results.

A Challenge for Change

2010-10-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you were challenged to stay young in your thinking, accept and entertain new truths, have an adventurous mind, and use reason in your thinking? New winds are blowing across the face of organizational life--business, education, religion, and government. As a current or aspiring leader, you must be aware of the direction and force of that wind. You must recognize the dangers, maintain balance, and discover how to transform organizations and followers into productive entities and people. You must lead with integrity and skill.

To do so, a revolution in organizational thinking and modeling are needed. Organizations designed during more placid settings and times will not withstand the pressure of chaotic times. In the organizational world of the past, the inflexible, rule-driven mass producers were staffed by persons who knew their place. No more. Today, organizations are flexible, porous, adaptive, and fleet-of-foot. Every person is expected to chart new courses, hustle, and be engaged fully with stimulating swift actions, constantly improving everything.

Twenty-first century leaders must respond to their organizational challenges in a global, competitive world. Revolutionary changes are occurring in the world today that will forever alter the way leaders meet the needs of their followers and stakeholders. These changes are so profound they sometimes seem overwhelming. That is why you must question the status quo (i.e., doing things the same old way) and dare to change. If you don't you will fast become obsolete.

New URL

2009-07-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

You may follow my newest blog url for latest updates. http://blogs.oc.edu/plewis