You cannot make a connection with others if you are not connected to yourself. That simple truth gets lost in the daily flurry of activity in the workplace. Even the most conscientious leaders can be blind to habits that serve as barriers to making a connection. The first step therefore is to identify and mitigate your blind spots through self-awareness.
These blind spots are often in the form of paradoxes that leaders are confronted with daily. For example, the less time you have to spare, the more you rely on technological advances to do the work, hence the more people problems you should expect to encounter. Perhaps one of the greatest paradoxes in leadership is this: Leaders gain more power by giving more power. This paradox is at the heart of connection. It reminds us that an influential leader fulfills the primary job of leadership: to lead others in becoming leaders themselves. An authoritarian leader cannot do that.
Another paradox is the conduct of a command-and-control leader. This type of leader is very common in the workplace and is directly opposite of that of an influential leader. The command-and-control leader is arrogant, unapproachable, intimidating, emotionally volatile, impatient, judgmental, manipulative, and stingy with praise. Their immediate staff and management team, not to mention the rest of the organization, are relieved when they are away from the office.
Under the command-and-control leadership style, fear and stress are the ongoing reality. Productivity is marginal because this type of leader constantly watches and micromanages the workflow, leaving no opportunities for creativity or innovation. In addition, competition is rampant, pitting team members against one another and introducing toxic behaviours. In this culture, dominating the market and increasing revenues are the main goals. Open communication, cooperative attitudes, and integrated teamwork are not part of their strategy or operating paradigm.
Is this kind of leader successful? Yes, but only in the short term. Is it sustainable? Never. Sooner or later, a command-and-control leader collapses under the weight of unethical behaviour, low staff morale, bad clinical practices, and questionable financial approaches. Command-and-Control leadership is not a behavioural style. Behavioural styles are preferences based on professionalism. Even people with an analytical style are not expected to be rude or manipulative. Command-and-control, on the other hand, is the product of antiquated, undemocratic mental models.
In the past, management was put in place to ensure that people followed the rules and protocols that kept the production line moving. In today’s organizations it is now knowledge workers – people whose jobs require formal and/or advanced education and are often professionals in their own right – occupying front-line positions rather than line workers. Performance no longer requires peoples’ hands to keep a production line moving. Performance, productivity, and efficiency in today’s knowledge economy lies in the hearts and minds of your people.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.