The True Leader

As Christians of the world celebrate the birth of the saviour, this timely blog is dedicated to Jesus Christ.  Reflecting on what he shared with us on how we can lead in his ways.

 Jesus was announced to be a leader centuries prior to his birth when God spoke through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.””  Wonderful is translated from the Hebrew word pele meaning miracle.

In a short blog I would never be able to describe in detail on how so many characteristics and values of effective and successful leaders can be referenced to the True Leader.  We can however simply look at the first name, or quality from the announcement, how we can portrait Jesus Christ through behaving as wonderful counsellors.

The counsellor role is an important aspect of leaders.  Good counsellors are always compassionate and positive.  This is the fundamental ingredient of what can make us exceptional leaders.  To be supportive and inspirational is often words used from people describing their best leader they have ever had.  Although we may know this is a necessity in our role to impact, mentor and lead others, we may become less optimistic or cheerful at times.  Even our True Leader, although a flesh life filled with encouraging actions and words, he also had the moment in the temple where the situation might have got the best of him when he made a whip of cords and drove the traders out the temple. John 2:13-17

Is the stress, conflicts or challenges get the best of us at times?  In a world that is fast pace, competitive, action driven and goal oriented it is too often taking from us a true effort to remember to be portraying the optimistic person in charge.

This is where the quote from Warren Bennis who through his many books, highlighted so often that the ingredient of successful leaders include personal ethics.   “Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.” 

Just when He fed the many, faced with thousands of people being in a desolate place away from food and his disciples telling him of the worry of darkness soon upon them, the apostle Mark tells us that he had compassion for all.  Mark 6:34

May we as leaders learn the goodness from the teachings and examples of our True Leader.  Let us take the spirit of the season built from true Love and Compassion, and make it part of what we strive to become - stronger leaders. 

Merry Christmas.     

Paul Bertrand is founder of Canadian People Management Inc. which is based out of Pickering, Ontario. His company specializes in organizational effectiveness development through solutions tailored to strengthen his client’s cultures, leadership and teams.

www.cpeoplemi.com

Parable of a Blacksmith and His Son

This week instead of writing I’m mostly sharing. Often I am asked about the different generations in the workplace which I help leaders understand the characteristics of the four types we most often face in our workplaces. I’m sharing a story, writer unknown but did find out it is posted on GodVine website.  I believe it speaks of these different generations, or is it different grounding, youth learning and development.  This week I dedicate this Blog to the employers who are patient, mentors, and coaches to the young generation of workers who are, for their first time, having to work. 

 

A young man went to seek an important position at a large printing company. He passed the initial interview and was going to meet the director for the final interview. The director saw his resume, it was excellent. And asked, '
- Have you received a scholarship for school?' The boy replied, " No '.
-' It was your father who paid for your studies? '
-' Yes.'- He replied.
-' Where does your father work? '
-' My father is a Blacksmith'
The Director asked the young to show him his hands.
The young man showed a pair of hands soft and perfect.
-' Have you ever helped your parents at their job? '
-' Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, he can do the job better than me.
The director said:
-' I have got a request: When you go home today, go and wash the hands of your father and then come see me tomorrow morning.'

The young felt his chance to get the job was high.
When he returned to his house he asked his father if he would allow him to wash their hands.
His father felt strange, happy, but with mixed feelings and showed their hands to his son. The young washed his hands, little by little. It was the first time that he noticed his father's hands were wrinkled and they had so many scars. Some bruises were so painful that his skin shuddered when he touched them.

This was the first time that the young man recognized what it meant for this pair of hands to work every day to be able to pay for his study. The bruises on the hands were the price that he paid for their education, his school activities and his future.
After cleaning his father's hands the young man stood in silence and began to tidy and clean up the workshop. That night, father and son talked for a long time.

The next morning, the young man went to the office of the director.
The Director noticed the tears in the eyes of the young when He asked him: -' Can you tell me what you did and what you learned yesterday at your house?'
The boy replied: -' I washed my father's hands and when I finished I stayed and cleaned his workshop '
-' Now I know what it is to appreciate and recognize that without my parents , I would not be who I am today . By helping my father I now realize how difficult and hard it is to do something on my own. I have come to appreciate the importance and the value in helping the family.

The director said, "This is what I look for in my people. I want to hire someone who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the hardship of others to do things, and a person who does not put money as his only goal in life". 'You are hired '.

A child that has been coddled, protected and usually given him what he wants, develops a mentality of " I have the right ' and will always put himself first, ignoring the efforts of their parents. If we are this type of protective parent are we really showing love or are we destroying our children?
You can give your child a big house, good food, computer classes, watch on a big screen TV. But when you're washing the floor or painting a wall, please let him experience that too.
After eating have them wash the dishes with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you have no money to hire someone to do this it's because you want to love them the right way. No matter how rich you are, you want them to understand. One day your hair will have gray hair, like the father of this young man.
The most important thing is that your child learns to appreciate the effort and to experience the difficulties and learn the ability to work with others to get things done. "

Author Unknown

If you would like to learn more about organizational effectiveness and how the solutions at Canadian People Management can improve your results visit us at www.cpeoplemi.com

 

Culture Types

     What type of culture are you working in or trying to create?

 

 To help you with the answer, we must first understand our organization and environment.

An organization is a social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. Adding the environment which consists of the surroundings of a living organism, including natural forces and other living things, which provide conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage.

Whatever you are experiencing, inventing, creating, or wishing, it involves people.  I would hope you agree that it is quite evident that people are the key factor in any culture and I believe that work culture is created by the leaders, or without guidance, naturally by its team of workers.

I’ve identified some common types of cultures that are common in workplaces, which some I have had the pleasure to work in, or must I say dreaded.  I believe that you cannot put a square peg in a round hole, or at least without some damage, says my 13 year old son. 

Customer Focus Culture – This is the workplace that promotes and emphasizes that the customer is always right, within reason.  This environment is one that has every worker asking “How does it impact our customers?” with most problem solving activity. I enjoy this culture because the purpose is clear for everyone - ensure the customer experience is a good one. Want to destroy this culture, have a narrow minded leader who only worries about how much they can squeeze from the customer. Great for their bonus and bottom-line, short term that is. 

Team Culture – Workers are the important factor in this one.  This can be easily identified by the lunch rooms, fitness rooms or social events.  Ensuring that everyone is happy and comfortable is the key focus. This culture typically respects and acknowledges the strengths of each individual. Who said Monday morning was not a good time?

Learning Culture – Development and growth of the workforce is of high importance.  These cultures thrive on skills and capabilities that are built on intense training.  My military experience did make me feel part of an elite group and quite the sense of  accomplishment.

Creativity Culture – This can be very successful culture that drives innovation, or it can be so risk taking that the outcome is not accepted by the norms of the world, leading to failure.  A balance of creativity is a necessity is it not?  Don't think Netflix had that in mind.

Fear Culture – This is a workplace where if you cannot meet the goals, get out.  Observed in many “sales driven” companies.  Accompanied with this type is often an authoritative element.  Strict - no deviation.  Just do what is asked.  Performance may be the benefit, but at what turnover cost?

Process Culture – If you choose to change the script, it just might cause you a job.  Can you say micro-manage?  This is a culture that is the opposite of change and creativity.  Stability and keeping a focus on standards is a necessity at times and some workplaces do need it.  Our education system, government and Tim Hortons comes to mind.  

This is not a complete list since many cultures have the multiple ingredients of the above.  As leaders we should create, communicate and preserve our cultures, and ensure we are surrounded with people who are well suited to it and enjoying it.

If you would like to learn more about organizational effectiveness and how the solutions at Canadian People Management can improve your results visit us at www.cpeoplemi.com

Destructive Set Ways

By Paul Bertrand

December 1, 2014

 Is your management caught in their set ways? All too often leaders of an organization continue to do things that are not practical and nobody ever questions it. Sacred cows are what we call them when I'm doing process improvement. The industry can be full of businesses not willing to change since the decisions are made, or lack of, because of obsolete knowledge or traditions.

I recently discovered an example from Freek Vermeulen from the London Business School in England. He shares a great example of a company, or industry with organizational dysfunction, which he refers as collective inertia.

His personal example begins with him having worked for a newspaper prior to becoming a professor doing research on strategy and entrepreneurship. He like many of us, experienced the less favourable reading pleasure in tight quarters of a subway or outside with any wind, the broadsheet format of a newspaper can cause. He assumed that the large format of newspapers were probably because of cost efficiencies. When he questioned his employer at the time on the format and the pain experienced by readers, customers, they told him that it is the norm for a reputable newspaper to be in this format and change would cause loss of sales.

He since discovered a couple of points. First, the newspapers that made the decision to change to a smaller tabloid format did not experience loss of revenue, some would even argue a positive impact on the revenue. Second, he discovered that the reason for the larger format had been obsolete for over 150 years. His research discovered that in the 18th century a tax had been implemented in England based on the number of pages a newspaper would print. Hence the larger format to avoid tax. In 1855, this method of taxing was eliminated.

I was also reminded this week about the work of Gordon Stephenson and his monkeys and how it relates to organizations set in their ways. Please note in the 1950’s the ethic committees were not as prominent as they are today with animal studies.

Stephenson put four monkeys in his lab, with a ladder below a hanging banana. Whenever a monkey touched the ladder to climb for the banana, the monkey and the others get sprayed with cold water. I’m sure there were a few attempts for the banana with some cold, wet and pissed-off monkeys before none were making the attempt. Then added is replacing one of the four monkeys with a newcomer. When the new monkey saw that banana, he did what most would do, go for it. Interesting is the other three pounced, attacked and fought the new monkey when he attempted to go on the ladder for the banana. Just imagine what he was thinking of those three.

Eventually one by one the original monkeys who had experienced the cold water treatment were replaced, but yet none were ever allowed or trying for the ladder. Have you ever questioned the bad practices that are causing some monkeys in your organizations?

If you would like to learn more about organizational effectiveness and how the solutions at Canadian People Management can improve your results, visit us at www.cpeoplemi.com

 

 

Paul Bertrand is founder of Canadian People Management Inc. which is based out of Pickering, Ontario. His company specializes in organizational effectiveness development through solutions tailored to strengthen his client’s cultures, leadership and teams.

www.cpeoplemi.com