Micheal McMaster wrote:
Some stuff deleted:
>The issue of generosity is important for me. I love the old
>reactionary managers. Many have a real love for the people they
>manage. Unfortunately, their ways are suited to older times and
>usually brutalised some of the workforce. That was a necessary
>result when force of personality was almost everything that was
>available to produce results with people.
My observation tells me the same thing, but I think the motivation for
this 'love' is rooted in the feeling that these subordinates 'belong' to
them, that they are their authorities (a feeling similar to that of an
authorative father who regards his children to be his property).
Therefore they can hardly allow their subordinates to create change by
themselves, and that is one reason why old managers fail that often -
their mindset is not directed to create selforganization and empowerment.
>The young professional "transfomers" haven't been there and don't
>seem to have the eyes and ears to see beyond the surface - of the
>person or the language or the practices. These youngsters (some of
>whom aren't so young) also fail to appreciate the historical roots of
>the "way it is". That is, the way it is arose from the function of a
>system. These old managers and supervisors have developed the way
>they have in response to a system that they were not the creators or
>inventors of.
I like your point, Michael, and experienced the same. It is impossible to
change a system in a human manner if we do not listen to the stories in
the organization, look at the history and study the power games and their
outputs (winners and losers). But in my eyes there are few transformers in
business which are able to show both sides: understanding people and
organization (in order to facilitate change which is carried out by the
people themselves) and survival by usa of power (the best people fail if
they cannot be hard against the old hardliners who want to let change feel
to keep their cozy place in the organization).
>I find that if you can love these people, respect and appreciate
>them, they transform quite rapidly. Especially if your can bring
>humour to the job.
Again, I agree. Humour is one of the most important ways to win people,
nothing is as cohesive as a good laugh. I think there is a direct relation
between the number of laughters heard in a compay and their economic
success (up to a certain amount).
Noisy for your comments.
-- Thomas Bertels Ulrich-Jakobi-Wall-Strasse 1 A 59494 Soest Germany Phone: +49 2921 15726 FAX: +49 2921 31627 Internet: tb@knipp.de