Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I Love Animals…Now Where Can I Find A Scapegoat?

Quick question: how many leaders have you seen that are quick to take responsibility for issues in their areas of responsibility when the pressure is on? Anyone? I know it happens occasionally, but let’s be honest with each other. We live in a CYA world, so when there’s trouble down on the farm, many leaders start hunting for the proverbial goat.

Don’t Be That Leader
Once we ( I’m absolutely including myself) stop worrying about our situation and start focusing on what’s best organizationally it creates a very different climate in the workplace.

Now, the team doesn’t worry about looking over their shoulder because they know you’re not standing there waiting to pounce. Instead, they’re feeling supported, thinking of new ideas, and taking risks.

How About You
Are you willing to separate the personal pressure you feel when your work life gets complicated and instead strategize how to make things better? Or, are you thinking about whom you should line up in your management crosshairs? If employees behave recklessly then hold them accountable, but in general isn’t our job to have their back and make work better?

Make work better today.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



pic courtesy of funnytimes

5 comments:

  1. Several years ago I started a new job, stepping into a position where the Manager had been absent for one reason or another for the last few years she was with the company. Needless to say, the people in the office who "reported to her" were forced to fend for themselves and weren't ready to trust a new comer so quickly. One of these people had a particularly difficult time adjusting - then I was given a gift. She made a terrible judgment call which could have resulted in the office losing thousands of dollars. Instead of freaking out, throwing her under the bus and making her feel worse than she already did - I put her at ease, told her “we” would get out of it somehow and I jumped in and helped her get out of the mess she’d made. Long story short, after that episode, our relationship changed and she finally trusted me. A good manager doesn't just make sure people follow the rules – they have to be willing to do what’s necessary to create that “circle of trust”.

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    1. Great story Deb. What a wonderful example of how our actions can make a huge impact in the lives of our employees.

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  2. Wow this really hits home, I worked for a cowardly leader that deflected responsibility and when it got real hectic, he blamed his staff, even allowing one to be canned.

    Well done Jay

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    1. Thanks Chris. What a shame that someone was termed unfairly.

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  3. It really interesting and inspire example for the all.Thanx to share with us.

    Employee Engagement

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