Being Point

Tag: leadership

  • Command And Control Often Shows Up In Personal Relationships As Well As Business

    Edward Deming, the famed management consultant credited with engineering post-war Japan’s economic recovery, believed that organizations are holographic of their leaders. He said that companies – and all kinds of human groups – emulate and embody the values of their leadership.

    People within command and control cultures also often model the same kinds of dominating behaviors of their leaders. This dynamic is particularly interesting when one observes family units, romantic relationships and social relationships.

    Have you been part of a command and control relationship in your family, friendships, romantic or social relationships? What role(s) have you played? How did it feel to be part of that kind of energy? Can you theorize about where it came from?

    Most importantly: is command and control an energy that you want to characterize any kind of relationship of which you are a part?

  • The Servant Leader

    A typical org chart shows the leader at the top of a pyramid with various levels of reporting arranged in a power hierarchy.

    Another way to view an organization is the concept of the SERVANT-LEADER. Imagine the typical view turned upside-down. The leader is at the bottom of the pyramid and “reports” to the “people” above her or him.

    This view illustrates the idea that the leader “works for” or “serves” those within her or his sphere. Imagine the kind of stewardship that such a view could promote. Far fewer business and political scandals . . . and, on a personal level, far more functional companies, happier families and vibrant communities.

    How practical does “servant leader” feel to you? Have you ever experienced it?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.