Keith Cowan wrote:
> ... Some settings demand a hard ass style (fire fighters, literally
> and figuratively, for example) while others will work better with
> the leadership & empowerment style...
Keith, I'd like to build on your comments. It has been my experience that
some people believe that some settings demand a hard ass style... It has
also been my experience that some situations require a very directive
style, e.g., on the 'fire field' fighting an actual blaze and in other
situations where life and limb are endangered.
To paraphrase an article that appeared in the WSJ some years ago, "When
was the first time you ever heard people cry out for management?...
People want and need leadership... machines need managment... "
I think that a lot of people learned the hard ass style in another era and
the fact that they are still making money seduces them into believing that
they're doing the right thing. Perhaps they are, but one must ask, "In
order to what?" Seems to me that reaching full human potential -- and
that is what I believe is required to both attain high stock prices and
some modicum (sp?) of job security -- requires a more humanistic style
that changes and adapts with the situation, yet never fails to maintain
human dignity.
Are we saying the same thing, Keith?
Regards,
Mike
--"Michael D. Townes, Organizational Consultant" <MDTownes@premier.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>