Follow The Leader

Can you give me a fast course on building my leadership skills? I was recently promoted and it seems the only training my company wants to give me is "OJT," but I want more. Please help me. S.M. - Connecticut

Recently, on a connecting flight from Washington to Dallas, I was lucky enough to sit next to a major general in the Air Force. His name is not as important as our discussion - which centered around finding and developing real leaders. I found the topic interesting since it’s a common problem for many people in industry. I was anxious to learn why the Air Force had the problem of finding leaders (all people volunteer into this elite branch of the service), and what they were doing about it.

As I best recall the conversation, he told me, "The hardest job in the Air Force is to find a lieutenant who is a leader." He also told me that "The entrepreneurial spirit is vanishing in Americans and all that people want is security . . . we’ve forgotten what made us great." What startled me most was his next statement; I’ve never forgotten it. He said, "As long as people only want security and are not willing to assume risks, as long as people will go through life letting others make decisions for them, and as long as these things continue to happen, Matthew will be proven wrong. The meek will not inherit this earth because they will be too afraid of the responsibility. In the final analysis, it will be leaders, not followers, inheriting the earth. Thank God, that our founding fathers were leaders!"

Is there a relationship between the thoughts of that general and the problems in our companies and organizations? Top management executives tell me one of the biggest problems they have is finding good key people – managers, supervisors, team leaders, etc. Their concerns are like the general’s. They say "There aren’t too many good people around anymore. Even the used-to-be winners are all retiring, either on or off the job. Those left to do the work cause our lost profits, high turnover, poor delivery dates, and bad quality; we’re losing the battle and the war. Nobody wants to work at working anymore!"

Is this so? Is U.S. business to perish because we will not have enough leaders to guide the "troops – our workers?" Has the only product of scientific management within industry been apathetic and relegating middle and first-line managers? We wanted sails, we got anchors. Our businesses are being stopped by the same people we want to carry us forward. Why can’t people see opportunity in spite of obstacles? What’s wrong with accepting and then carrying out responsibility? Why won’t people give their all anymore? Can they change in spite of the reasons they say, or think, they can’t?

People in business have job titles without clearly defined roles. How can you be the "Manager" and spend all day fixing some broken piece of equipment? Or, be a "supervisor," and be handing out work? The true role of management – at any level – is easily understood, it is to perform the following six critical activities in a most professional way;

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