A Different Kind of Leader - Nu Leadership Series

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mohandas Gandhi

Too many managers want to carry a big stick and forget they are really on the same team as their employees. Twenty-first century organizations cannot afford managers who don't look at the big picture. For example, downsizing helps many companies in the short-term. However, sooner or later it hurts them if they don't analyze the long term consequences. In light of this reality, how do leaders decide whether to buy in on the newest management fads?

Let's focus on outsourcing as an example. Lisa Robinson Davis, management strategist, argues that before a company outsources, it needs to foster good relationships with workers if they want success. Handy, an organizational strategist, defines this relationship as another paradox. Workers want the most money while organizations want to pay the least. Outsourcing then becomes the management's solution to this matter.

However, without thinking strategically, an organization can be the loser over the long run. When managers initiate outsourcing without the concern of employees, they lose their employees' respect. Although some U.S. companies are concerned about the impact of outsourcing, others are not.

Outsourcing can become a relationship-breaker in the leader-follower relationship.
Clearly, credibility is an issue. Maxwell, author of Today Matters, argues that an individual's core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe a person' soul. Kouzer and Posner, authors of Credibility, note that the majority of individuals admire leaders who are honest, inspiring, and competent.

Conversely, credibility of a leader is what drives employees to do more they than they are required to do for their jobs. In an age where ethics appear to be lowering, managers need to be caught doing the right thing. Therefore, integrity is important if an organization wants to implement a new business approach and convince employees to buy in.

References:

Braun, B. (2004). Offshore Outsourcing: Impact on the American Workplace, Braun Consulting News, 7(5).

Handy, C. (1997). The Age of Paradox. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Kouzes, J. & Posner, B. (2003). Credibility. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Maxwell, J. (2004). Today Matters. New York: Warner Faith.

© 2007 by Daryl D. Green