CORRUPTION IN THE C-SUITE
Approximately eighty-five percent of all organizations view leadership training as overhead and a direct cost to business operations (which it is) that can and should be postponed until there's sufficient capital available to justify the expense (which it shouldn't) and approximately eighty two percent of all organization fail to choose the correct manager for the right position. Failure to recognize the necessity of a leadership training program should be the first sign that you have Managers in Disguise in positions of authority and leadership who create Leaders in Disgust. It's my belief, this very same eight-five percent of all organizations are ran by what i've coined "Managers in Disguise" as leaders whom do not have the skills to see the bigger picture or the desire to see the value of a leadership program. They're ran by unwitting small business owners who's doing all they can with what they have, or people who were hired or promoted because of their individual accomplishments in their field of expertise, or the good ole boy network, the buddy system, the college system or down right nepotism and never offered any leadership training to support the demanding role as business owner and/or leader. Not having a leadership training program is exactly the reason you do not have sufficient capital to justify the expense.
The other fifteen percent of all organizations are led by actual "leaders," people who have been trained in the art of leadership and know the value of it. Positions of authority are leadership positions which should be staffed with employees who are passionate about the position and capable of learning the rest through a functioning leadership program. Succession training at every level is imperative for true success. This fifteen percent does not experience as much dysfunction as the other eighty-five percent simply because of the skills and knowledge gained through their leadership training.
Leaders are trained to recognize:
1. Managers in Disguise (A person who is in a position of authority and knows their in over their head but refuses to step aside for selfish reasons, bringing down the organization and those who allowed them to be there in the first place)
2. The fact that underperforming managers create underperforming employees (not all managers can lead but all leaders can manage)
3. When expectations are one sided (expectations are a two way street, you're either a teammate or your not)
4. When positions of authority are poorly manned (approximately eighty two percent of all organization fail to choose the correct manager for the right position)
5. When paychecks are going to employees who aren't doing their jobs (C players can be found in all levels of every organization, no level is immune)
Two questions:
1. Do you understand the odd's you're in the top eighty-five percent of organizations without a Leadership Training Program?
2. Do you understand the odd's you're in the top eighty-two percent of organizations who fail to choose the correct managers for the right positions?
If your ego told you the answers to these two questions as you were reading them, you're wrong and are in need of leadership training yourself. I write this statement because the odd's are 85 to 1 that i'm right and you're not. Just because you're at the top of the org. chart, doesn't mean you're the right person for the position. The use of Perception and Performance feedback surveys are a great way to gather data and identify problems but they must be used to gather data at every level and the lessons learned must be transparent, distributed to all employees, acted upon and repeated.
If you believe yourself to be a manager in the eighty-five percent of all organizations without a leadership program, I understand the last thing you want floating around is a Perception or Performance feedback survey with your name on it. I assure you, the data collected will be your guidance to success, if you accept it and realize the authority you have is given to you by the company you work for, and the power you have to succeed is given to you by your team's willingness to listen and follow your directions.
Thank you for your time,
Robert E. Wood
