Regards,

James Bryden

It is not likely that the executive leadership provides the core value proposition of a company. Truth is, the blue collar worker is the backbone of any industry. Without them, the entire industry will fail. Unfortunately a great majority thinks they somehow deserve some senior position, thus we have produced empty titles, like Vice President of Ceramic Engineering. Nobody wants to be just a dishwasher.

Many spout off about the messages of Walter Demming, Tom Peters, Steven Covey, and Toyota’s continuous improvement system. Few actually practice any of the techniques and lessons these have taught. The primary objective of a manager is to enable his or her workers to produce value. It takes patience, constancy and devotion to be in a leadership role. My devotion can not be self-serving. It must be focused on my direct reports and their success — to the point of creating my replacement.

Why are managers afraid to develop their replacements? My ideal world would be to reproduce my own thought process and skills in essentially every direct report. When a project arises, I should be willing to send any of my employees in my place, knowing that everything will be done as if it were me actually there instead. If I can’t rest in that confidence, I have failed at my job as a manager. In addition, until a replacement is available for me, I can not be promoted.

To me this is all common sense. Ancient Chinese proverb says, “Common sense ain’t too common!”

Nice post, full of common sense, as Mark stated. One area you have not addressed though is the hiring process. Hiring the wrong people for their position is likely responsible for many of the problems that companies later have with employee performance and retention.

Most companies focus on skills (as stated on a resume), as opposed to other aspects of the whole person. The foundation of a good hiring practice starts with defining the role, including the job description, purpose, needed outcomes, performance standards and ROI. Next most important is behavior. Each position requires certain behavioral traits for the employee to be successful. If an employee is a behavioral fit, the chances that they will be happy and productive in their position is enhanced exponentially. The third priority in hiring is values. If the company and employee do not have matching values, something will break down the road. Last in priority are skills. Skills are teachable and trainable. If everything else is a match, you can teach the relevant skills.

Regards,

Ted Cook
http://www.benchmarkperformancestrategies.com

The yes man and the name dropper definately get awarded points without any real substance to back them up and that really annoys me. Other people who work their ass off and don’t get far because they’re not extroverted yes men. They should be the ones getting the promotions and nurtured by their boss to a greater success, they’re the ones with the real background knowledge to take the business to greater success. The boss should show them the way and help bring out some of their inner extrovert or help them to achieve whatever they’re lacking to make them “seen as” a great success (if that’s what the company is looking for).

“Too many chiefs and not enough Indians!” – That’s a big topic that I could both agree and disagree with. If you want to get ahead with whatever you’re doing – knowledge is power. If you can back up your knowledge with related experience that’s even better. As for “too many chiefs”, maybe people should use the knowledge and experience for a while BEFORE becoming a chief.

My dad used to say, “There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians!” Everyone wants to be seen as having training in the latest trend. They rush through program after program at an accelerated rate in order to be promoted. What is fantastical about this is that they DO get promoted for this! Regardless whether there is any substance to support such a move. What we are left with is people in leadership positions who are simply neither capable nor qualified to lead.

Business leadership has been handed off to the yes man and the name-dropper culture. There are few who really believe in teamwork; and fewer who are able to pull one together and lead it. “Team” has become an empty buzzword tossed around flippantly while everyday business continues under the rule of “every man for himself”. Corporate America is rife with people hoarding critical information so they can present themselves as the hero at the opportune moment. The misguided perception is that this particular “knowledge” is their value, and giving it away somehow diminishes them. I have fired people for this attitude. But when these people become the leadership of a company, look out! It is a wonder the business can survive.

There are several reasons people continue to go to work at a company job: Many work for the pay, in spite of the work, the environment, or their boss. A few work for the love of the job, in spite of the pay, the hours, or their boss. Some even work for the convenience of the hours or the prestige of the environment in spite of the pay and the boss. The rarest reason is to work for your boss in spite of everything else. This is the gold ring we should all aspire to. This latter environment breeds not only contended workers, but quality products and services which lead to contented customers and growth for the business. It really isn’t complicated or difficult. You just have to do it.

Think about it. The larger the business and the more employees you have, the more this rings true. What do these people say about the business when they are AWAY from it. At barbeques? At parties? With their friends on weekends.

“What the **** is wrong with these people?” ought to be directed at this generation of misfit executives – who have done nought but sabotage large companies to buy themselves a mansion and a yacht in Majorca under their wives’ or children’s names.

Let’s not forget it has been this same generation who have bequested us with globalisation in all it’s glory. Now, western countries manufacture very little or nothing at all. And whilst what remains of their dwindling workforces sit idly in office buildings clustered in polluted cities, their Governments borrow more and more and more as current account deficits deteriorate.

There’s no reason to drive attention towards employees. That the working employee is driven into the ground with debt and has no passion for a job that utilises about 1% of his or her intellect is symbolic of modern times.