The only way to lead is to
lead by example.
A leader’s vision, actions
and language become the unwritten guidelines for a company’s culture. The way he decides and speaks may soon be the
same behavior down the chain of command.
If the boss likes to say “fire them all,” his clone may bark even
louder.
Confusion happens when the
new leader is a maverick whose beliefs and methods go against the good values
of the staff.
For example, I have heard of
bosses whose mottos were something like
“sales at all costs”, “awards no matter what“ and “kill the
competition.“ Such aggressive priorities
may compel employees to resort to cheating, lying or other unfair trade practices
they have not imagined themselves engaging in.
Another thing that a leader
cannot do is to honor or openly idolize people with a dubious character or are
suspected of being engaged in some wrongdoing.
If he does that, he is
symbolically writing off similar “sins” of other employees. These may be from abusive
use of office property to unauthorized spending of company funds.
To avoid confusion, leaders
must be as consistent as possible in their speech. They can not go on hiding behind excuses
like “I was only joking,” “ I was
misinterpreted” or “ I was just mad at that time. “
One of the most ambiguous
things a leader can do is to personally attack an employee who has legitimate
questions about things seriously affecting the company. If the leaders resent correction or inquiry, they
can promote a climate of fear, suspicion and submission.
A company with a disordered
value system cannot move ahead because conflicts at decision-making will happen
every day at every level. The company may lose sight of its vision and
mission,too.
An upright employee who is
forced to compromise his values may fall sick eventually. If he is doing things that he “cannot
stomach”, he may actually develop an illness affecting his stomach. If he keeps
hearing things he doesn’t want to hear, he may become hearing impaired.
Before thinking of moving to
another department or resigning, try having
your real feelings reach the boss. Hopefully, he will be enlightened.
Maybe he only feels justified presently because no one had the courage to speak
to him.
If you are that controversial
boss, here’s a thought from Katherine W.
Dean from the website The Journal of Values Based Leadership :
“ Values-based leadership
connotes a plethora of different meanings, but based upon my experience in the
corporate world, the concept is primarily defined as leading by example, that
is, doing the right thing for the right reasons and not compromising core principles. “
No comments:
Post a Comment