R E S P E C T
Many years ago I was asked by the British Standards Institute to create a more innovative culture at its site in Milton Keynes. (At immigration, I was dressed in jeans and had a two-day beard, as I told the inspector I was going to Milton Keynes. “Ah, working there, eh?” he said. “How would you know that?” I asked. “No other bloody reason to go there,” he explained.
Since I was focused on results, we built a three-day project wherein teams would learn innovative tactics and actually create ideas to acquire more business and perform work more efficiently. The managing director would come down from London on the final day to hear recommendations. Everyone was stoked, and we had a dozen formal recommendations with implementation plans.
The MD was a belligerent, aloof moron who made fun of every idea he heard. “If that’s such a good idea, why haven’t we done it already?” and “Our competition would be doing that if it actually worked,” and “This is just useless!”
After four presentations we stopped, he drove away, and the dispirited teams drifted back to work. The director who hired me, terrified of the MD, told me, “I was hoping this time would be different.”
When leaders don’t respect their people, their products and services, and/or their customers, you will find horrible organizations with low morale and low productivity. I have seen this in the past among politicians, and at American Airlines, Sears, Hyatt, Amtrak, and any number of high tech firms which believe all customers are dolts in they can’t do their own programming.
If you don’t respect your daily interactions, then you’re not going to be much of a leader. And weak leaders are infallibly surrounded by weak people, because strong people will not tolerate them and have the confidence they can find better work.
© Alan Weiss 2013
Craig Martin
That last paragraph needs pinning to the walls and foreheads of every single leader, whether of a small local team or of a multi national.
Unfortunately I’ve seen many, many people like the aforementioned MD in British retailers and service providers. I wonder what, exactly, the MD actually manages or directs, after all, any buffoon can find fault with ideas they are mentally incapable of grasping.
Alan Weiss
He’s a typical senior bureaucrat who thinks that others are responsible for his own dismal existence and refused to believe there’s talent or better ideas around him, which would be threatening. Do you see how political leaders, including our own, don’t necessarily find the best people for key positions, but find those who are safe and will be effective toadies. That’s why Team of Rivals about Lincoln is so revelatory. He didn’t want fawning, he wanted results.
Jennifer Beever (@cmo4hire)
Great post – since I specialize in consulting for tech companies, I have witnessed the incredible arrogance some tech execs have for their non-tech vendors, clients and customers. It definitely has an effect on morale and is a detriment to revenue growth.
Alan Weiss
Exactly!