Good To Great: October 2007 Archives
It's been over a week now since I last blogged on here, and the main reason for this is that i wanted to try to digest some of the stuff I've been reading before I went on any further.
And here's some of my thoughts...
I fully agree with the whole idea of level 5 leadership, and the idea of putting together a team who have the right attitude and personality to take an organisation further toward its goal. I also think that the idea of encouraging your team to discuss the stuff that's going well (or where improvements need to be made) is really valid.
My issue though, is that I know leaders at both ends of the spectrum - those who clearly show level 5 leadership in the way they build a team and mobilize them to "play to their strengths", and those who can clearly see where God is calling their organisation and can pretty much inspire anyone to get on board and run towards the goal without necessarily thinking through the whole strengths and personality issues discussed in "good to great".
So where does that leave me?
I guess, the big question in my head at the moment is - "if you work on the whole level 5 leadership and playing to strengths ideals, then won't you end up with a vision based on doing what the people on your team happen to be good at, rather than having a clear focus for the organisation as a whole that everyone will throw themselves into?"
Any thoughts on this would be gratefully received. But as for now, I guess it's back to the book.
And here's some of my thoughts...
I fully agree with the whole idea of level 5 leadership, and the idea of putting together a team who have the right attitude and personality to take an organisation further toward its goal. I also think that the idea of encouraging your team to discuss the stuff that's going well (or where improvements need to be made) is really valid.
My issue though, is that I know leaders at both ends of the spectrum - those who clearly show level 5 leadership in the way they build a team and mobilize them to "play to their strengths", and those who can clearly see where God is calling their organisation and can pretty much inspire anyone to get on board and run towards the goal without necessarily thinking through the whole strengths and personality issues discussed in "good to great".
So where does that leave me?
I guess, the big question in my head at the moment is - "if you work on the whole level 5 leadership and playing to strengths ideals, then won't you end up with a vision based on doing what the people on your team happen to be good at, rather than having a clear focus for the organisation as a whole that everyone will throw themselves into?"
Any thoughts on this would be gratefully received. But as for now, I guess it's back to the book.
Apparently, knowing where you're headed is nothing compared to the people you travel with, and I actually completely agree, from a human perspective (which is the only one I have), but I've never thought about it in terms of leadership before.I've also always agreed with the idea that "people are your greatest asset" so it's so refreshing to consider that it's not just people - it's the right people that make an organisation great. My big concern though with this idea, is the issue of hiring & firing staff that don't hit the mark...
I totally agree that under-achieving staff need to be dealt with effectively, but does that mean changing them for a better worker, or working hard at inspiring them for the task? In youth work I've always worked on the basis that discipline is important, but that if your programming is excellent then kids won't want to mis-behave, they'll want to participate, so surely that applies to staff - if they're playing to their strengths and have a grasp of the overall vision, then they'll perform, and if they aren't then surely that's more of a reflection on the leader not maximising people's potential effectively.
But that leads to the question - how can you know who the right team are unless they have a grasp of the vision that you're about (which according to GtoG, doesn't even exist yet).
Am I missing something here, or am I being stupidly naive?
So, I read through chapters 1 & 2 of "Good to Great" and I was pretty much captured by some of the concepts.The first chapter really just tells you how the author (and his team) went about getting the data they needed from various sustained "good to great" organisations, and then made comparisons with other "good" or "non-sustained" great companies to discover the primary differences. The chapter also gives you a really brief overview (and a neat little diagram) of each of the factors that were present in the "Good to Great" companies, but lacking in the "Good" ones.
From Chapter 2, the rubber really starts to hit the road as we deal with the issue of Level 5 leadership. The basic premise is that there are 4 levels of leadership, from being good at what you do, and knowing what you're about, to being a motivated leader who desperately pushes an organisation forward through pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, in an attempt to better the company, and one's own status within it.
And according to the author, there lies the problem - Level 5 leaders focus all of their energies into building the company and developing leaders around them, whilst accrediting success to the people around them, helpful environmental & industrial factors, and even luck in some cases. In fact, the only time that "Level 5 Leaders" seem to look to themselves is to diagnose problems within the organisation, rather than blaming others, the environment, or "bad luck".
It's referred to as "the Window & The Mirror" principle - Leaders of "Great" organisations look out of the window at others when things go well, and look hard into the mirror when times get tough, however for leaders of "good" companies, the opposite is true - The mirror is for the good times, and the window is for accosting blame.
So, what does all that mean to me?
Well, I guess it means that I need to work at being a level 5 leader, but can you become one, or is it inherent? The book suggests the former, but as a natural result of working hard on the other principles covered in later chapters.
I'd like to think I do pretty well at the whole "not biggin' myself up" thing, but hey, we can all get better at it. I think the key thing for me so far is that I need to start putting more energy into my role at NSYFC and less trying to build a secure postion for myself.
And I guess the other issue is "Where does the whole GOD thing fit in all this?" And I'm sure the answer isn't that Leaders should just give ALL the praise to God when things go well - It's much more extensive than that - but I'm sure that there's a correlation between encouraging vision & determination in others, and inspiring faith in people, that God can acheive amazing results in us when we chase after him with everything, leaving ourselves behind and going for the goal.
Not a big challenge then?
Ok, so I'm about to start reading "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. I thought it'd be agreat place to start.I'll keep you updated as I read through it. It usually takes me months to read a book properly, but we'll see. Maybe this whole leadership thing will get me motivated to just plough straight through.
Watch this space!!
Stats Counter
Powered by Visitor Stats