This is not meant to diminish the wonderful work done by so
many in the field. The theories and concepts of people like Townsend, Drucker,
Kotter, and so many others has been of foundational importance in even my own
career. But what those brilliant minds
often do not prepare you for is the reality of the system in which you will
attempt to bring to fruition the lessons you learned from the highlighted and
dog-eared pages that line your bookshelves.
First, you will never work in a vacuum. Where
you are or where you go will have a history that long pre-dates you. No matter how troubled that history may be—no
matter how glaring you may see the current or future potholes or cliffs that
threaten the future—the past will be stronger for many of those you attempt to
lead or persuade. Particularly if you are in an entrenched organization,
with long standing mindsets, strongly held beliefs and its own way of doing
things—there is a transition phase that must be managed well if you are to
succeed. That is old news for the
readers of Leadership Books. But what is
new is just how basic that first phase must be if you are to succeed
In essence, the implementation of progressive concepts about
leading organizations requires a first step that most writers assume has
already occurred—the believe that these ideas are valued—or at least valued by a
group of people willing to listen to them with a partially open mind, or
perhaps one open ear. Most of those you
will attempt to lead in these organizations do not possess a “Learner’s Mind”
as the former interim senior minister at my church called it. In fact, they have only a reactionary
mind. There are reasons for this—and
those reasons are only one factor why many leadership and change management
plans start far too distant down the Yellow Brick Road. Remember, Oz is nothing without the Tornado—the
nasty neighbor—and the Black and White part.
If you forget the beginning steps—the danger is that those you are
trying to lead may lose the whole reason for the journey. And if people are willing to even look at the
map, well it’s going to be a very short journey indeed.
But how to manage that trip in the absence of a learner’s
mind? What if the group, or team, or
company or organization that you have been tasked to lead hasn’t made it there
yet? What if they proudly attend the
meetings of their local flat-earth society and have no interest in your
concepts? Albert Einstein himself would
be dismissed by this band of “professionals”—would you not fall to the same
fate, but probably faster?
It is my belief, that this is not a diminishing phenomenon,
but rather a growing one. Reflecting the
polarization of many of our political and social systems—where the art of compromise,
even of learning, has atrophied, is it no wonder that some of our institutions
are suffering the same fate as people who should be willing to learn new ways,
new ideas, and different processes, instead dig in their heels and refuse to
grow. Like a plant that refuses water or food.
I know the answer from those in the private sector—fire them
all! Promote those that share the vision! Introduce metrics to measure success and
demand that the measures be met! But
what if the world in which you work isn’t the private sector? What if you are in a sector that values,
above all, intransigence masked as security and status quo, labeled as tenure
or protection? Maybe you have the
ability to leave—find you way to Park Avenue and the towers that speak your new
found language. If so, good for you.
But there are others, many others, who are responsible for
companies, organizations, departments, or bureaus that live outside the natural
rules, in lands with their own laws—to which reason, relativity, and the normal
order of things just don’t apply. As
with all advanced life forms—they have a consciousness and a sense of
being. And they do not see growth—but
only fear. They see the changes to come
and, much like a Pope hearing of Martin Luther—know only one way to react.
These coming articles will discuss that reaction—and how you
as a manager or leader must deal with it.
I realize clearly that management and leadership are quite different
beasts. But for these discussions, they
are inherently related and co-dependent.
The talents required by both are the same. In organizations such as
these, the management of change and the vision that leads it ultimately are
useless if those doing the work or being led just refuse to move.
How to get them to move?
In a world where reason fails to work, where statistics and logic are
disarmed and rigidity and dissonance are notes in the national anthem—how can
we hope to make things better? That is
what this series will discuss. Sadly,
there are no easy answers. But for those
who face this challenge answers must come.
Too often, these groups are in the fields that are most
important—government, public safety, and critical utility and transportation
sectors. In each of these institutions
the need for better results—for improvement—to get more out of strapped budgets—
is never ending. Lacking the flexibility
of the private sector, however, doing more with less becomes too often doing
more with the same. The same old mindsets, the same old approaches, the same
old biases.
The leaders and managers of fire departments, police
departments, 9-1-1 Centers, and other similar organizations are crying out for
solutions as they face an ever changing environment with workforces that are
sometimes unwilling to acknowledge the realities around them. This spells disaster for that organization
and, equally as important, those that the organization serves.
There are
better ways. Let’s find them.