Different organizations… same leadership issues
It really doesn’t matter what organization I work with (profit, non-profit, government agency, etc.). They all have the same leadership issues. I guess the common denominator is people. People lead these organizations. So whether or not they lead others to increase revenues, raise donations or implement systems they will all face similar issues. One of those issues is leadership style. I’m a believer in situational leadership. At times leaders should use directive behavior, at times they should use supportive behavior, and at times various combinations of both. I believe we need to learn to flex different leadership muscles depending on the needs of the person and the situation. However, most leaders tend to have a pet leadership style that may not always be appropriate for all situations. The trick is to learn which leadership behaviors to use in which situations… and that’s the hard part. It kind of reminds me of the conversation Mitch has with Curly in the movie, City Slickers.
Curly: You know what the secret of life is?
Mitch: No, what?
Curly: This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean shit.
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the one thing?
Curly: That’s what you’ve got to figure out.
OfficeMax – Generational Differences
Had a great class with OfficeMax today on Generational Differences in the Workplace. They do so many things well at the Norman center… training being one of them. Many companies could benefit from training on this topic. However, all companies would reap the rewards of simply asking their employees what they want from their job (their management) and what it would take to motivate them to higher levels of productivity and commitment. I’m convinced that the one of the biggest obstacles to working well together is generational bias. Specifically, leaders have to get over how they think people “should be” in order to make the necessary changes to usher in this next 
HUGE generation of workers.
