| Most professionals are constantly developing new | | | | management principles. |
| skills – usually technical in nature. New | | | | Have you ever worked for an organization that tries |
| technologies are constantly being developed and | | | | to motivate its employees by requiring them to |
| accomplished professionals have to continually learn | | | | account for every minute of their time (and is |
| to keep up with them. But does learning new | | | | punitive towards those that are not 100% |
| technologies give you all that you need in order to | | | | productive)? That approach really is not inspiring and |
| advance your career, or are there some other skills | | | | will most likely produce poor results compared to an |
| that your organization will highly value when it comes | | | | organization that effectively shares its purpose, |
| time for promotions? | | | | values, and vision with its employees and helps them |
| Every organization must be competent at three | | | | see how they benefit from it. |
| behaviors in order for it to survive. It must have a | | | | Speaking about purpose, values and visions, have you |
| reason for existing, be able to manage itself, and be | | | | ever been involved with an organization that does |
| able to lead. If any of these behaviors are missing, it | | | | not know its values, purpose or vision - A company |
| will eventually collapse. | | | | where you can ask 5 different people why the |
| A Reason for Existing: | | | | organization exists and get 5 different answers. Such |
| An organization must have a reason for existing | | | | an organization is in trouble and needs a healthy does |
| – that is, a product or a service. If there is no | | | | of leadership before it collapses in personnel issues. |
| product or service the organization will not have a | | | | It does not matter how large or small an organization |
| commitment in its staff nor will it have any means to | | | | is, it needs to be competent at all three behaviors. In |
| generate revenue. Without a commitment people will | | | | fact organizations within larger organizations need all |
| lose interest in it and without revenue it will collapse | | | | three. |
| financially. | | | | For example, I once worked for a large |
| Examples of organizations that have no product or | | | | telecommunications company. The purpose of this |
| service include pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes | | | | organization was to provide cellular communications |
| use the money being “invested” by new | | | | to subscribers and to manage it profitably. The |
| members to pay previous investors. The money is | | | | organization also had an executive leadership whose |
| not being used to create a product or service that | | | | job it was to guide the organization towards that |
| can be sold to create income. Eventually the scheme | | | | goal. They had all three behaviors. |
| will run out of investment capital and there will be no | | | | I worked in the Information Systems department of |
| means to generate revenue. The scheme will collapse | | | | that organization. We had our own purpose, to |
| and go bankrupt. | | | | provide information processing services such as billing |
| A similar situation occurred in the late 1990s with | | | | and accounting processes. We had our own |
| internet startup companies. There were many | | | | management procedures such as project |
| companies that did not have a viable product but | | | | management and budgets and we had our own |
| were highly valued by investors. There was a | | | | leadership. |
| tremendous amount of money being invested in | | | | Within the IS department I worked for a team that |
| them which made them appear prosperous. The | | | | wrote fraud prevention software. Our purpose was |
| appearance of prosperity brought in more investment | | | | different from the organizations that we were part |
| money. Just about everyone confused the market | | | | of – but it was part of what was needed in |
| value of the company with its ability to generate | | | | order for them to achieve their purpose. Our |
| revenue and be profitable. | | | | management was distinct because it supported our |
| Eventually, in 1999, the investors did figure out that | | | | distinct purpose. Finally our leadership was distinct as |
| there was not going to be any revenue for many of | | | | well. Without the leadership that we had our team |
| these organizations. They withdrew their investments | | | | would have been unmotivated and without direction |
| and many of the organizations collapsed. | | | | – a clear recipe for failure. |
| Without a product or service an organization will not | | | | But the need for these three behaviors does not |
| survive. | | | | stop just at teams and organizations, but goes on to |
| The Ability to Manage Itself: | | | | individuals. An individual must have a purpose for |
| An organization does not just have to provide a | | | | existing (within the team), management and |
| product or service but also make sure that it is | | | | leadership as well. The leadership may be to motivate |
| providing it in an efficient and profitable manner. It | | | | others or maybe just himself/herself. Either way, |
| does not make any sense if you are providing the | | | | without it there will be a loss of direction and the |
| most amazing product if at the same time you are | | | | product or service will suffer. |
| losing money every time you sell it. | | | | On many occasions I have witnessed technical |
| Organizations manage themselves through accounting | | | | professionals who are promoted when they have not |
| procedures, manufacturing processes, and other | | | | had an opportunity to learn and develop leadership |
| policies. An organization that neglects the | | | | skills. They do not have the ability to motivate their |
| administration of its operations will most likely fail. | | | | new team. As a result the team suffers, the |
| Numerous organizations have attempted to focus | | | | department suffers, and the organization ends up |
| solely on the product and missed sight of proper | | | | suffering. The team ends up losing its moral and |
| management. Other companies such as Enron and | | | | direction. The staff becomes unmotivated because |
| MCI WorldCom have had a product but deliberately | | | | they ca not see the importance of their contribution. |
| mismanaged their finances in order to deceive | | | | Usually the team gets reorganized and the newly |
| themselves and their investors. | | | | promoted manager is moved on to somewhere else |
| Leadership: | | | | or moved out. |
| Management and leadership are often thought of as | | | | It is the smart professional who avoids this and |
| being the same. Individuals are promoted to a | | | | takes action in advance by learning the skills before |
| management position and then have people who | | | | they are required. By learning about leadership skills |
| report to them. Now they have to lead. In fact they | | | | specifically you can benefit now by doing a better |
| should be described as being promoted to a | | | | job of motivating yourself and those that you work |
| management/supervisor or management/leader | | | | with while preparing yourself so that you are ready |
| position. | | | | when the next promotion becomes available. |
| Policies and procedures are good for managing things | | | | It is not difficult to start building a foundation of skills |
| but they do not motivate people. The ability to | | | | that will give you the ability to effectively motivate. |
| motivate or influence people to follow is leadership. It | | | | You can learn about the three attributes every |
| is often neglected because we confuse it with | | | | leader needs to have in order to be effective at my |
| management. Many new managers are trained on | | | | website [ You might want to have a look around |
| how to create a budget but few are given training | | | | while you are there and learn how you can Master |
| on how to inspire their team. Sadly they often end | | | | the Art of Public Speaking. |
| up trying to motivate their team through | | | | |