Erich is very fond of "The Management Bible" and quotes it often. He probably likes it because it is only focused on management and doesn't have any of those distractions like telling you to go to church and not check out your neighbor's wife. The authors talk a lot about policies and procedures - the HOW of management - but not to much about the WHY, the values.
In the latest course in preparation, Courageous and Ethical Managers, Erich goes into greater depth on four traditional values and how these apply to management.
I was re-reading a book today - and that tells you that I REALLY like it because I almost never read a book more than once. It's called Beyond entrepeneurship and its main author is the same person who wrote Good to Great and Built to Last, Jim Collins. All of Collins' books are about what makes a great company.
On the one hand, he says that there are many types of effective leaders and asks,
"Can you see Winston Churchill wearing a loin cloth and speaking softly? Can you see Gandhi smoking a cigar and growling, 'We will fight them by land, by air and by sea with all of the strength that God will give us'? Yet, both of them were effective leaders."
On the other hand, he gives seven common traits of people who lead their organizations to greatness and as I read this it dawned on me, Hey! This is exactly what Erich has been saying
1. Authenticity - or, in Erich's words, honesty. As Collins & Lazier say in their book, Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett did not sit down and study what were the best values to promote to get the most out of their workers. No, they truly BELIEVED that having respect for all people was important.
2. Decisiveness - or, in Erich's words, courage. While the great leaders in this book did not just act without planning or studying a situation, they had the COURAGE to make decisions. They were the exact opposite of those who keep analyzing a situation, want to ask one more person's opinion or defer the decision to someone else. When it was evident what should be done, they acted.
3 & 4 Focus/ Ever Forward - or, in Erich's words, perseverance. Leaders who are focused do not allow themselves to be distracted from the task at hand. They work on that budget, job description or removing that problem employee until the job is done. As the book says, there's no way of getting around hard work if you want to be a great leader. It goes with the territory.
5. & 6 Personal touch/ People skilss - or, in Erich's words, generosity. Great leaders are generous with their time. An 'open-door policy' to them is a real thing, not something that looks good on paper. Great leaders are also generous in delegating authority, they trust people and treat them like adults able to SHARE in decision-making. Great leaders are also generous with positive feedback. They let people know what they have done well.
The seventh characteristic, COMMUNICATION, really pulls all of the four traditional values together. Great leaders engage in HONEST communication. They have the courage to tell the truth when news is bad. They have the generosity to spend time communicating at all levels of the organization. They have the perseverance to communicate with their employees over and over and over the mission, the plans, the purpose and the details of the important work to be done.
In short, Collins & Lazier are saying that today's great leaders have the same qualities Native Americans traditionally valued in great leaders.
If Erich were the type to say, "I told you so," he'd be saying it right now.
In the latest course in preparation, Courageous and Ethical Managers, Erich goes into greater depth on four traditional values and how these apply to management.
I was re-reading a book today - and that tells you that I REALLY like it because I almost never read a book more than once. It's called Beyond entrepeneurship and its main author is the same person who wrote Good to Great and Built to Last, Jim Collins. All of Collins' books are about what makes a great company.
On the one hand, he says that there are many types of effective leaders and asks,
"Can you see Winston Churchill wearing a loin cloth and speaking softly? Can you see Gandhi smoking a cigar and growling, 'We will fight them by land, by air and by sea with all of the strength that God will give us'? Yet, both of them were effective leaders."
On the other hand, he gives seven common traits of people who lead their organizations to greatness and as I read this it dawned on me, Hey! This is exactly what Erich has been saying
1. Authenticity - or, in Erich's words, honesty. As Collins & Lazier say in their book, Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett did not sit down and study what were the best values to promote to get the most out of their workers. No, they truly BELIEVED that having respect for all people was important.
2. Decisiveness - or, in Erich's words, courage. While the great leaders in this book did not just act without planning or studying a situation, they had the COURAGE to make decisions. They were the exact opposite of those who keep analyzing a situation, want to ask one more person's opinion or defer the decision to someone else. When it was evident what should be done, they acted.
3 & 4 Focus/ Ever Forward - or, in Erich's words, perseverance. Leaders who are focused do not allow themselves to be distracted from the task at hand. They work on that budget, job description or removing that problem employee until the job is done. As the book says, there's no way of getting around hard work if you want to be a great leader. It goes with the territory.
5. & 6 Personal touch/ People skilss - or, in Erich's words, generosity. Great leaders are generous with their time. An 'open-door policy' to them is a real thing, not something that looks good on paper. Great leaders are also generous in delegating authority, they trust people and treat them like adults able to SHARE in decision-making. Great leaders are also generous with positive feedback. They let people know what they have done well.
The seventh characteristic, COMMUNICATION, really pulls all of the four traditional values together. Great leaders engage in HONEST communication. They have the courage to tell the truth when news is bad. They have the generosity to spend time communicating at all levels of the organization. They have the perseverance to communicate with their employees over and over and over the mission, the plans, the purpose and the details of the important work to be done.
In short, Collins & Lazier are saying that today's great leaders have the same qualities Native Americans traditionally valued in great leaders.
If Erich were the type to say, "I told you so," he'd be saying it right now.
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