The Servant-Steward's Handbook

The Servant-Steward's Handbook

The Servant-Steward's Handbook is now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.

Many of the concepts that have appeared in this blog over the past few years have been updated and are now gathered into one collection with even more practical suggestions  to help leaders effectively supervise the people in your organization. We hope this handbook becomes a handy desk reference or textbook for training supervisors in business or ministry settings. 

Thanks to Max Greiner, Jr. for graciously granting permission to use the photo of his "Divine Servant" sculpture on the cover of the book. The setting with high-rise office buildings in the background perfectly illustrates the concept of servant-stewardship in the 21st Century. Christians in the marketplace today often feel we are swimming upstream, against the flow. At the same time, it appears to me that most people really want their supervisors to act like Christians without actually having to be followers of Jesus. Having the same attitude that Jesus had when He took the form of a slave is not a popular concept, but it is the way He expects us to act. (Mt.20:25-28; Jn.13:1-19; Ph.2:3-11) 

And if we act like that, we might be as conspicuous as a near-naked CEO washing the feet of a worker in downtown Atlanta, Dallas, or New York. Others will notice and it will make a difference in how they respond and perform.  

Don’t Confuse Me with the Facts

 

“How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” …And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

(King Ahab, before he rejected the counsel of Micaiah and was defeated and killed at Ramoth-gilead by the king of Syria.
[1 Kings 22:16-18, ESV])

 

In her confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate, Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch was asked if she would be willing to say no to the president. Concern was expressed over comments by the outgoing Attorney General, Eric Holder, referring to himself as “the president's wingman.” 

 

Lynch responded, “I think I have to be willing to tell not just my friends but colleagues 'no' if the law requires it. That would include the president of the United States." When asked how she would be different than her predecessor, she said, "I will be myself. Loretta Lynch."

 

Are you looking for a man or a “yes man”?

 

Great leaders do not just take yes for an answer.  Some disagreement and low-level conflict can lead to better consensus decisions.  The best leaders encourage dialogue and welcome challenges to their decisions when there might truly be a better idea. Then, once the decision is made, they can reasonably expect their followers to follow through with commitment.  

 

While attending the annual convention meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1987, I was introduced to a liaison from the Catholic Church. Our mutual friend had recently been named to a position of leadership for what was then the FMB. As he tried to equate that position to his own organization’s structure, he commented that a bishop once told him, “Once you become a bishop, it marks the last time two things will ever happen. It’s the last time you will ever be served a bad meal and it’s the last time anyone will ever tell you the truth.”  

 

Sadly, the farther up the chain of leadership one moves, the more difficult it becomes for subordinates to feel free to share bad news or facts that contradict the leader’s stated position. Often, leaders say they want to know what is really going on out there in the trenches or on the frontline, but they express their preconceived conclusions in such a way that others receive the message, “Don’t confuse me with the facts.”

 

I have a button on my desk with that inscription. It hangs in front of a yellow Tweety Bird pen holder, a gift from my sons years ago. Together, the button and Tweety remind me of at least five things outlined in the hints below.

 

Hints to the Leader and to the Follower:

1)  Remember to Stop, Look and LISTEN to others first, before expressing your own opinions (better yet, before FORMING my own opinions).

 2)  Don’t draw conclusions too quickly.

 3)  Don’t think too highly of your own opinions.

 4)  Stay open to the possibility of altering, changing or perhaps even ditching what you thought was a “final” conclusion.

 5)  Don’t take yourself too seriously.

 
 

 

(For more hints, see also the earlier article “Leaders Need Three I’s”  (http://mylead360.blogspot.com/2010/01/leaders-need-three-is.html).

 

© Dr. Larry N. Gay, January 2015

http://mylead360.blogspot.com 

Don't Be a Bonsai Leader

“So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.”

(Paul’s Letter to the Romans 14:19, HCSB)

I once saw a demonstration of how to grow a bonsai tree. I was horrified to watch the professional horticulturist brutally hack away at a tree branch as he told how the tree, if left to its own nature, would grow to an unpredictable shape, large and reproductive. The goal of bonsai gardening, he explained, is to force the tree to grow small and remain small in a shape that is pleasing to the gardener and that will fit into the pot where the tree is intended to live. Bonsai trees do not reproduce. Later, I came across a website for “Bonsai Leadership” and I thought, “this must be a joke!” When I think of a “bonsai leader” I can only imagine someone who hacks away at people to force them into a cookie-cutter mold that can be controlled and micro-managed. Why would anyone want to be a bonsai leader?  (I honestly do not intend to offend anyone who might be associated with that group or with bonsai gardening.)

Wikipedia describes bonsai:

“Bonsai can be created from nearly any… tree or shrub species… its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Several times a year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth… and meet the artist's detailed design…. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-sized trees.”

Bonsai leaders achieve conformity, uniformity and deformity

While bonsai leadership might achieve conformity and uniformity, its ultimate result is controlled deformity. The bonsai tree was not originally intended by its creator to be small and sterile. By forcing the plant to grow small, it becomes a deformed imitation of its original intended purpose. In the same way, individuals respond to bonsai leadership by becoming small imitations of what they were meant to be.  By hacking away at any attempts to grow outside the box, the bonsai leader trains individuals, like a bonsai tree, to be ornamental instead of allowing them to grow to their maximum potential and multiplying their contribution to the organization’s purpose. “My way or the highway” is often the theme of such a leader.

Leader-builders achieve diversity, variety and purpose

The best leaders are not threatened by the leadership potential in the people they lead. To the contrary, they actually work at building up others and multiplying their own effectiveness as they celebrate the diverse gifts and abilities of others. The best leaders recognize that it is precisely this diversity that contributes to the organization fulfilling its purpose and reaching its objectives. While uniformity might be easier to control, it is variety that builds strength in the team.

Hint to the Leader

Consider whether your leadership style is characterized by building up or tearing down. You could be doing a bonsai on your workers without realizing it. What can you do to encourage the people you lead to grow to their potential and use their unique gifts, talents and experience to contribute positively to the company’s goals and objectives?

           

Hint to the Follower

If you feel like you are the bonsai, hang in there! Never forget that your were meant to grow and be productive. Start looking for ways to reproduce and multiply yourself by mentoring others. Learn from the mistakes of others. Determine now that you will not be a bonsai leader.

[See also “Stress and Job Dissatisfaction”, April 4, 2010]

© Copyright Dr. Larry Gay, April 2011

"Lessons on Leadership and Followership"

http://mylead360.blogspot.com/

Don't Throw Training off the Train

When economic times get tough, one of the first things that goes out the window is the training budget. Such a knee-jerk reaction throws the organization into a downward spiral that is extremely difficult to reverse when the economy supposedly improves. Leaders often make the mistake of throwing training off the train, without realizing how important training really is. Training is not a benefit. It is not a luxury. Training is essential to any organization reaching its stated objectives, goals, mission and vision.  Throwing training off the train is like getting rid of the fuel makes the train run efficiently. 

Think about it. Your organization begins downsizing, laying people off, firing people who are not top performers, or enticing people to take early retirement. Then you put a hiring freeze on to curb personnel costs. The remaining employees are expected to pick up the slack and take on the responsibilities of the people who have left, but they are told there will be no budget for training to help them learn how to do their jobs better or improve productivity. The predicted results of all this?

·         Stress levels go up.

·         Productivity goes down.

·         Layoffs increase. 

·         Morale declines.

·         Some of the best performers start looking for other places of employment causing unwanted attrition.

·         The downward spiral goes on and on…

Looking for a Catchy Slogan? DON’T BOTHER!

As the organization begins to decline, some leaders mistakenly think the answer is in rallying the troops around catchy slogans, like: “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” Or “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” In response to that, the worker on the frontline is saying, “Yeah, right. The only problem is I now have twice the work with no more pay (or perhaps even a cut in pay) and there are still only so many hours in a day!”  As Deming pointed out in point number 10 of his 14 points, slogans do not address the causes of low quality and low productivity. They don’t motivate us to do better work. In fact, they can actually become the cause of serious relational problems in the workforce. Slogans have their place, but they cannot take the place of training. People need to be given tools that will help them increase productivity, relieve stress, and give them a sense of accomplishment, a feeling that what they are doing really makes a positive difference in the world. Slogans alone can never do that.

A few astute leaders know that training is not a luxury; it is a necessity—especially in difficult economic times. You might not be able to afford the cost of a large conference center with high-priced motivational speakers of great renown who come in to speak to large numbers of employees all gathered together in the same place, but that does not mean you cannot afford to continue to train your people. In this age of technology, it is possible to do more training than ever before at lower costs than ever before.

Webinars

Webinars, for example, allow people to sit in on a training session saving travel costs for the presenters and the participants. You can do a full two-day seminar with scheduled breaks for a minimal cost. Webinars can be presented one-on-one, to small groups or up to hundreds or thousands. And the sessions can be recorded for later viewing by other participants or reviewing.

Skype

Skype is a great way to give or receive coaching one-on-one or in a very small group by conference call.  And it’s free! If the coach is already someone employed by the same company, then you have no extra cost at all.

Tweet to Train

Or what about training on the fly? You can send out snippets of training in small, bite-sized nuggets throughout the day or week via Twitter, Facebook, or old-fashioned email.

Remember the Library

Hey, here’s a novel idea. Remember libraries? They still have books, videos, and a number of resources available for loan. Why not encourage your people to use their public library or libraries at local schools and universities. Some universities and graduate schools will mail books on loan to alumni.

Mentor/Coach

Assigning mentors or coaches can be another great way to carry out training. Assign every new personnel or new member of your organization to someone who will guide them in learning the ropes.

It really does not require you to think that far outside the box to discover ways to increase training at a time when “logic” might indicate cutting the training budget. Don’t throw training off the train. Instead, go against the flow and train more to increase productivity.

Hint to the Leader

·         Be sure someone has the responsibility to coordinate all training, making sure your people are on track to get the right tools to do the right things that will help your organization to reach the right objectives.

·         Think of three ways you can increase training opportunities for your team and others under your leadership.

·         Set some personal goals for self-improvement that will demonstrate a learning attitude to others who will follow.

·         Volunteer to mentor/coach new people joining your organization.

Hint to the Follower

·         Start a discussion group with coworkers to share best practices or ideas for improving productivity.

·         Think of three inexpensive or free training opportunities that you could suggest to your leader.

·         Volunteer to be a mentor/coach.

© Copyright 2010, Dr. Larry N. Gay  http://mylead360.blogspot.com/,   Mylead360@gmail.com 

Lead them Where No Man Has Gone Before

           An effective leader can lead people to go places where even the leader has not been before without coercing, convincing, manipulating, shaming, or in any other way trying to force the people to follow. This is especially important when launching any new project. 

            The story of Joshua leading his people across the Jordan River provides a great example of how to lead people to go where they have never been before. To read the story, click here (Joshua 3).  Before launching any new project, strategy, or idea, leaders need to:

1.      Learn to follow. The most effective leaders are also good followers. Joshua followed those who carried the Ark. He knew that the leader does not have to be in the limelight all the time.

2.      Lead the people to prepare themselves.  Joshua gave clear instructions to the people to prepare themselves for the battle that was about to come; then he followed to the letter the plan he had been given as he led the people to begin the long-awaited conquest of the Promised Land.

3.      Let go of your ego. Joshua did not have to prove himself or defend his actions before the people.

4.      Lead out in faith with confidence. Imagine being the first person to step into the water. Only the leaders’ feet got wet. They stood in the middle of the river as the people crossed over.

Hint to Leaders

            Are you absolutely certain you are leading people in the right direction with the right plan?  Are you courageous enough to lead your followers to commit to such a plan? What do you need to do to demonstrate that your own faith and confidence are well-placed?

Hint to Followers

            Are you prepared and willing to follow? What do you need to do to get ready?

© Dr. Larry Gay, October 2010

http://mylead360.blogpsot.com/

Effective Leaders Are Good Mobilizers

            The most effective leaders are good mobilizers. They know how to recruit the right people to do the right job and then release them to do it. For a great example of a leader who knew how to mobilize people, look at Joshua.  As he was preparing to march on Jericho, Joshua sent two spies who would report directly to him. To read the story, click here. (Joshua 2:1‑24)

An Effective Strategy for Mobilization

1.    Select the right people.

A.   Choose people you know you can trust to do the job.  Not everyone needs to know everyone else's business. Give specific assignments to specific persons for specific tasks.

B.   Choose people who are already committed to the project.

C.   Choose people who clearly understand the task when you give instructions.

2.    Trust them to do their job. 

A.   Although they used some unconventional methods to accomplish their task, they got the job done because they felt empowered by their leader.

B.   They were confident that their leader would back them up when they gave their word.

3.    Clarify the limits of delegated authority. 

Joshua made it clear that the two would to report only to Joshua. They would give their report secretly to the final decision maker.

4.    Value their influence, from three "I's."

A.   Encourage their input.

B.   Receive their information.  

C.   Ask for their insight.

5.    Wait for the right timing.

A.   What a difference a generation can make! (Compare Numbers 13-14):

                                                  i.    Moses had sent out twelve spies who were already leaders among the tribes. They were chosen by the tribes, not by Moses.

                                                ii.    The twelve were sent to explore the land, not to decide if, how, or when to attack. That was a strategic decision that was never intended to be decided democratically or by consensus.

                                               iii.    The ten majority spies were afraid and used their power, position, and influence to turn the people against their leader.

                                               iv.    The people were predisposed to follow a negative leadership.

                                                v.    Only Caleb and Joshua saw that the decision was really the responsibility of a higher authority than their own.

B.   Joshua must have learned from the negative experience of his mentor, Moses. He recognized that this was not a decision to be made by tribal representatives on a consensus basis, so he sent only two chosen and anonymous spies who reported only to him.

Hint to Leaders

            What can you learn from Joshua's example about empowering your followers and mobilizing them to complete the task you have been given?

Hint to Followers

            What can you learn from Joshua's example about effective followership? How can you use your empowerment and influence to help your leader be even more effective?

© Dr. Larry Gay, revised October 2010

http://mylead360.blogspot.com/

Five Principles of Leadership

Several years ago I began to analyze the principles on which I wanted to base my leadership. In my search for a personal definition of leadership, I discovered that spiritual leadership is defined by Jesus in one word—servanthood. (Mt. 18:1-4; 19:30; 20: 8, 16, 20-28; Mk. 9:35.) Jesus’ model of leadership with His disciples demonstrated that the effective spiritual leader is not so much interested in climbing a corporate ladder as in providing himself as the step-support for others to grow in spiritual maturity. Spiritual leadership is helping people to become all that God wants them to be in Him so that He can accomplish all He wants to do through them.

Five guiding principles have influenced my leadership as I have tried to apply that definition. Although none of the five maxims is original, they have become such a part of my leadership philosophy that I can no longer remember some of their original sources.

1.    Being precedes doing.

2.    Ask God to bless you with His plan, rather than asking Him to bless your plan.

3.    Do what is right because it is right.

4.    Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing.

5.    Servanthood is not the way to the top; it is the top.

The effective leaders I have wanted to imitate, the people I would most willingly follow, all seem to share these common principles and characteristics, even if they might not express them in exactly the same way.

It all boils down to having the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he had positional rights in the eternal universal organization, he humbled himself and took a lower position as a servant in obedience to his Father’s plan, so that the ultimate purpose he desired to see fulfilled would be achieved by his followers, even after his death. (Phi. 2:5‑11)  Jesus could do the things he did because he knew Who he was and Whose he was. He always demonstrated his desire to do his Father’s will, and not his own. His actions were not always popular or within the accepted practices and regulations of the authorities, but he acted based on what he knew was right in God’s eyes. He never lost sight of his purpose in coming to earth, to preach the good news of the kingdom. And he showed us the way to the top by such actions as wrapping a towel around his waist, washing his followers’ feet, and submitting to a criminal’s death on the cross.

Good supervision is dependent on good leadership. Applying all the best practices of leadership is no substitute for applying the best practice of servanthood as Jesus demonstrated.

© Larry Gay, September 2005

The Cost of Empowerment

     I had never thought of empowerment as something I could choose to experience. Until I read the following paragraphs from Daryl R. Conner, I thought empowerment was something that only leaders could give to followers. Conner, however, challenges us to think of empowerment as a two-way transaction wherein the follower must also make an investment before true empowerment takes effect. As you will see below, there is a price to be paid for receiving empowerment.
[LNG]

EMPOWERMENT


Exceprt from:  Daryl R. Conner, Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail. New York: Villard Books, 1993, (194-7).


     "Empowered employees are those who provide true value to the organization, influencing the outcome of management's decisions and actions. The antithesis of empowerment is victimization. Victims believe they are faced with a negative situation offering no alternatives. In actuality, most victims face alternatives they refuse to act on because they view them as too expensive.

      "Victims resent feeling as if they are being used and tend to feel depleted by change. Therefore, they demonstrate little interest in contributing beyond what is necessary to protect their employment during unsettled times. Subsequently, the organization profits little, if any, from its investment in such people. For foxholes to form, employees must overcome their fear of victimization and engage management in an empowered fashion as key contributors to a team effort. The basis for this approach is not blind faith, but the knowledge that they hold management's bullets, which provides a healthy balance of power in the relationship.

Empowerment Should Not be Confused with Delegation, Courage, or Autonomy

Empowerment Is Different from Delegation

     "Many organizations mistakenly refer to "empowering" the work force when they encourage people to make their own decisions about some aspect of their job. When someone has been assigned the right to make his or her own decisions, it is more appropriate to call this delegation. The term empowerment should be reserved for those situations where employees are not granted permission to take action on their own, but instead are asked to provide input to management as decisions are being made. You are empowered when you are valuable enough to others to influence their decisions--not when you are allowed to make your own.

      "Even if your suggestion is not implemented, you are empowered if your ideas are genuinely considered before the final decision is made. Empowered peoplef do not always get what they want, but their input is always considered important and it carries weight with those making decisions.

Empowerment Is Not the Same as Courage

     "It is possible to act on one's convictions, but not be really influential with others. The act of offering someone your ideas or thoughts does not constitute empowerment unless you are considered valuable by that person. Therefore, empowerment represents both a person's willingness to provide input to decision makers and an environment where that input is valued.

      "When someone chooses to express his or her opinion despite the fact that the decision makers do not seek nor value such input, the act is referred to as courageous, not empowered. The students at Tiananmen Square were courageous, but they lacked the value to be influential with their governmental leaders. Therefore, they were not empowered.

Empowerment Is Not Synonymous with Autonomy

      "It is possible to be independent yet still be incapable of generating a desired result. To be empowered is to believe that you can significantly influence your own destiny. Empowered people do not think they control all the elements of their lives, but they do believe that, most of the time, they are responsible for a great deal of what happens to them.

     "In this context, responsibility implies neither blame nor acclaim, but rather the belief that most of the circumstances in which we find ourselves are the result of how we have defined the situations we face, the decisions we make, and the price we are willing to pay for what we want. So, the hallmarks of an empowered person are the creativity to frame the situation so success is possible, the capacity to face and make tough decisions. and the motivation to pay the price of success.

     "An empowered person has the creativity to define a situation in such a way that the likelihood of success improves. There are three different ways to define and approach situations.

     "1. Opportunities: Opportunities are potential benefits that require appropriate action to fully realize; opportunities can be exploited.

     "2. Problems: Problems have solutions. They may be elusive. but they can be prevented or resolved if you pay the price.

     "3. Dilemmas: Dilemmas have no solution. They are an inherent part of the situation at hand and, therefore, they must be accepted as inevitable. Sibling rivalry among young children is not a problem to be solved, but a dilemma to be managed.

     "Empowered people do not try to fix unresolvable problems: they learn instead how to live with the dilemma, or they shift from viewing a situation only as a problem to seeing the opportunities they might exploit. People spend their careers in one of two ways: (1) as victims of missed opportunities, unsolved problems, and unaccepted dilemmas, or (2) as architectural managers affecting these situations through their own creative actions.

     "The capacity to face and make tough decisions is the second essential component of empowerment. Either consciously or unconsciously, people are constantly making decisions that help determine the situations in which they later find themselves. For example, being unhappy in a marriage is, in part, the result of a prior decision regarding who to marry. Being successful in one's job is partially the result of a previous career decision. Since all decisions are made with insufficient data, once decisions are made, they can be sustained, modified, or reversed based on new information that is obtained over time. Sometimes, living an empowered life requires making tough decisions. The responsibility for what happens, or continues to happen, lies primarily with you.

     "The motivation to pay the price for success is a third key aspect of empowerment. Empowered people approach life as if it were an expensive pastime. They believe that people either pay dearly for getting what they want, or they pay dearly for not doing so. Since both invoices are expensive, they choose the one that represents the least cost for the most gain. They always know, however, that a price will be paid. How much is paid and what is received for that payment are the only options.

     "Although the organization must provide the appropriate environment, it also includes a self-concept earned through creative reframing, tough decisions, and expensive payments. This aspect of empowerment is not something that the organization grants employees and managers or transfers through training. Work environments can be established that attract empowered people And empowerment can be fostered, but it is not a quality that can be given to people simply because the organization has decided that it would be a good idea."

----------------- 

So, according to Conner, I must choose to be empowered.

Hint to the Leader

     What kind of environment are you creating for the people you lead? How can you let them know that you value their input and that you do not merely tolerate them expressing their views?

Hint to the Follower

     Have you been acting like a victim, or like an empowered manager? What price will be required of you to feel empowered? Are you willing to pay the price?

© Dr. Larry Gay, July 11, 2010 http://mylead360.blogspot.com/  "Lessons on Leadership and Followership"

The Hardest (and Most Important) Lesson on Followership

Dear Reader, Last week about the time I usually would be putting the finishing touches on a weekly blog post, I received one of those phone calls you dread and never want to receive. Rather than dwelling on it here, I'll direct you to the blog page entitled "What For?" (See the page link at the top of the home page of this blog also.) I do not know if the insights on that page will be of any help to you on the subject of Leadership and Followership, but I think it does have relevance. I'll try to return to the series on alignment next week. Larry

Stress and Job Dissatisfaction

(Third in a series on Aligning for Productivity)

One ship sails East, And another West, By the self-same winds that blow, 'Tis the set of the sails And not the gales, That tells the way we go.

(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)

Alex and Kim both work for the same organization, in the same job, with the same title, the same boss, and they receive exactly the same pay. Alex loves this job and has very few complaints about the way things are going. Kim, on the other hand, is growing increasingly dissatisfied with the direction the organization is taking and seems to complain about everything. Kim is so stressed by it all that burnout is just around the corner.

After talking with Alex and Kim you might ask, “Are these two really working at the same job in the same place with the same boss?” How can one person love what the organization is doing and be thrilled with the job, while the other person is convinced the whole organization is going down the drain? What makes the difference?

You Always Have Choices

When we are faced with the stress of organizational change, we basically have three choices: 1) stay and be satisfied, 2) stay and be a problem or 3) leave. The option we choose is largely determined by our sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in the job. Like adding weights in a balance, the decision to stay is based on the weight of positive influences contributing to job satisfaction as opposed to the negative stressors that cause dissatisfaction.

Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction	Stressors Contributing to Dissatisfaction
( + ) Alignment between personal and organizational vision, purpose, values ( + ) Sense of fulfillment of calling ( + ) Good Relationships ( + ) Appreciation ( + ) Benefits ( + ) “Zapps!” (Encouraging words that build up) [1] ( + ) Helpful Policies ( + ) Empowerment	( - ) Misalignment between personal and organizational vision, purpose, values ( - ) Working outside one’s giftedness or strengths ( - ) Strained relationships ( - ) Rules and regulations that restrict ( - ) Busy work ( - ) Devaluation ( - ) “Saps!” (Discouraging words, criticism that tears down) [2] ( - ) Micro-management
Outcome = Stay and be satisfied	Outcome = Stay and be dissatisfied, unproductive, become a problem, or leave

When the balance tilts to the dissatisfaction side, stress mounts up and can cloud or color the decision-making processes. The longer a person stays in a state of dissatisfaction, the more stress will grow and the more difficult it will be for them to reset their sails—either to realign themselves with the new direction of the organization, or to find a place in another organization that is going their way.

We would like to believe that everyone in the organization is genuinely seeking to be true to their personal vision or sense of calling. For some people, that factor will carry so much weight that it counterbalances all the negative stressors. Other people, however, will come to the point that the only positive factor contributing to their job satisfaction is the personal benefits they receive (including, but not limited to monetary benefits).

‘Tis the Set of the Sails

Grudgingly compliant, noncompliant and apathetic members will exhibit greater levels of stress and job dissatisfaction than will their colleagues who are formally compliant, genuinely compliant, enrolled or committed to the vision. Because their sails are set for a different direction, these individuals will feel their sense of purpose or personal calling is being limited by the organization’s belief system (vision, purpose and values). They will be in a perpetual state of distress that will manifest itself in behaviors that work against the organization’s objectives. In the end, they will be unlikely to reach their personal goals as well.

Leadership Hints:

• What is your assessment of the general morale among the people you lead?
• Look back over the list of factors contributing to job dissatisfaction. If a number of people seem dissatisfied, what common factors can you identify that contribute to the dissatisfaction and stress?
• As you look at the list of factors, what positive actions come to mind that you could take to help people better align with your organization’s vision, purpose and values?
• Are you willing to take action?

Followership Hints:

• How is your sail set?
• As you look back over the list of factors contributing to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction, which way is your balance tilting?
• What steps can you take to improve your own job satisfaction?
• Is there anything you can do to help a co-worker feel more satisfied and fulfilled in their job?
• So, what do you intend to do?

© Dr. Larry N. Gay, April 2010

http://mylead360.blogspot.com/ “Lessons on Leadership and Followership”

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[1] [2] William C. Byham, Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction (Ballantine Books, 1997). In easy-to-read fable form, this book centers on the concepts of “zapping” people with empowerment or “sapping” them with negative comments. Bynam details what managers and organizations must do to create and maintain an empowered work force that will, in turn, be dedicated to constantly improving the organization.