tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73594903062686279542024-03-05T18:25:40.052+11:00Douglas G LongHelping you release potential in yourself and others
Author of "Delivering High Performance: The Third Generation Organisation", 2013, Gower Publishing, UK.Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-54060627018115985742014-02-18T15:55:00.000+11:002014-02-18T15:55:20.113+11:00The Issue of Corruption<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of 2013, on the completion of a very “hands-on”
workshop on values, ethics and competitive advantage, a senior level manager
working outside of Australia came up to me and commented that, until working
through this program, he had never believed that you could be totally ethical
and also competitively successful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was shocked. This person came from a European country that
has a reputation for highly ethical behaviour yet, as on-going discussion then ascertained,
he had discovered that hidden behind this national façade of respectability lay
some degree of a “whatever it takes” mentality and practices.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the days of this workshop we had explored media reports
of unethical (and probably corrupt) behaviour by Australian and other companies
operating internationally and, using a framework of duties and consequences,
had explored both the legal and ethical issues involved in running successful
international operations – especially the matter of using professional advisors
to find “acceptable” ways of circumnavigating national and international laws
on bribery and corruption. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the biggest learnings was the reminder that
it always “takes two to tango”. In other words unethical and corrupt behaviour
exists because both parties see it as an acceptable way (and cost) of doing
business: both parties have at least an implicit (and sometimes explicit)
understanding that the end justifies the means.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout the workshop, participants had explored what
happens in their own company and this lead to considering how the mindset of
“the end justifies the means” had come about. Their conclusions were: </div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>The Board and top management give confusing
signals. On the one hand they speak of the need to behave ethically and
appropriately but on the other hand they encourage a “pushing of the
boundaries” in order to achieve desired results and, unless some negative
consequence (such as bad publicity or some third party investigation) follows
questionable behaviour, generally a “blind eye” is turned. In addition, at a
very senior level, much time and money is spent on seeking legal ways for
complying with what is considered to be “the way of doing business” in some
countries.</li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>The value statement of the company is seen as a
“feel good” set of ideals rather than the drivers of behaviour. They are
couched in such broad terms that anyone with a reasonable level of debating
skills can use them to justify almost any behaviour.</li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>An excessive focus on short-term results such as
quarterly reports and employee bonus schemes rather than a more balanced
short-term – long-term emphasis.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right now a high-level team has been established so that
these conclusions are being addressed across the company. It will be
interesting to see what changes emerge in the coming months.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the February 12, 2014 edition of “Knowledge at Wharton”
(a publication of Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, USA) there was an
interesting article that reflected the fact that questionable behaviour exists
not only in the organisation with which I was working, but can be found across
the board (<a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/managerial-myopia-ceos-pump-earnings-gain/">http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/managerial-myopia-ceos-pump-earnings-gain/</a>)
– even when the desired results of such behaviour never eventuate!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is the probability of unethical and/or corrupt behaviour in your organisation minimised? I'd love to know. Please use the comment section below to let us all know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More information about Doug Long at<a href="http://www.dglong.com/"> http://www.dglong.com</a> </div>
Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-19352623459368511582013-12-05T09:00:00.000+11:002013-12-05T09:00:39.174+11:00It's a "trust thing"!In all my years of being either a leader and/or a consultant (now a total of well over 45 years) there is one factor that I have found to be consistent if an organisation is to be successful in both the short term and the long term. There needs to be a high level of internal trust at and across all levels and areas of the organisation while simultaneously there needs to a high level of trust between the organisation and its customers and potential customers. In other words, <b>ultimately success is based on trust</b>.<br />
<br />
And that is one of the prime reasons why I am worried about the current Australian Federal Government.<br />
<br />
On September 7, 2013 the Australian people threw out the incumbent Labor Government primarily because it had lost their trust. A key factor in them losing much of this trust was the behaviour of Tony Abbott. As Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott ensured that any failing of the government was highlighted and that any discrepancy between what had been promised and what was done was well and truly advertised. He was, as I have said before, certainly the most effective Leader of the Opposition in recent memory and probably among the best Leaders of the Opposition that Australia has ever had.<br />
<br />
However, from published opinion polls as well as from discussions with a wide variety of people it is clear that our current Federal Government is rapidly losing the trust of the Australian people. Everyone with whom I speak, no matter what their political leanings may be, tells me that this losing of trust is because of the behaviour of Tony Abbott. A previously highly successful Leader of the Opposition is currently widely seen as a mediocre Prime Minister at best. Under his reign, the Liberal-National Coalition seems to lurch from one self-inflicted crisis to another. The examples I am quoted include:<br />
<ul>
<li>The apparent rorting of parliamentary expenses by politicians in both sides of Parliament including Tony Abbott himself</li>
<li>The intransigence of rhetoric against the Indonesians when it emerged that the previous government had tapped the phones of the President of Indonesia, his wife, and his closest confidants - President Obama had given a case study in how to defuse such a situation yet, probably for ideological reasons, this example was totally ignored</li>
<li>The buying in to a dispute between China and Japan regarding airspace over islands whose ownership is disputed between the two countries and which has nothing whatsoever to do with Australia</li>
<li>The fake military secrecy over asylum seeker boats arriving into Australian waters and the attempted politicising of an Army General in an attempt to ensure the Australian people are kept in the dark and fed bovine excrement</li>
<li>The absolute fiasco over the reform of education funding with a series of insults to the Australian people over what was said and what was believed to have been said followed by a backflip worthy of a series of 10's at the Olympics' high diving competition</li>
<li>The use of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to seize evidence and to prevent a key witness from traveling in order to try and impact on a case (currently before the International Court in The Hague) that claims Australia acted immorally (and probably illegally) when negotiating oil and gas rights in the Timor Sea during 2004 because it bugged the Cabinet Room in East Timor and the information thus obtained was used for commercial purposes rather than for matters of Australia's national security.</li>
<li>The public disclosures from a senior member of Tony Abbott's own Coalition Government that the Prime Minister's office is obsessive about controlling information and micro managing its own people and activities - the very factor (obsessive control) that was a direct cause of the demise of previous Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.</li>
</ul>
<b>And, given that its not yet December 7, all this within 3 months of being elected!</b><br />
<br />
There is good news and bad news in relation to all of this. The bad news is that trust - an essential ingredient of success - is being lost and goodwill squandered by what appears to be ineptitude from Tony Abbott and his Ministers. The good news is that there are almost 3 years to go before a new Federal election must be called and so Tony Abbott and his government have time to turn the situation around.<br />
<br />
I have said before that, when there is inappropriate behaviour evident at any level of an organisation, the root cause of this is found in what the Chairman does and/or doesn't do. The "buck stops" with the chairman. Tony Abbott is, in effect, the Chairman of the organisation "Australia". We need to see some proper leadership from him - and right now that's another missing ingredient.<br />
<br />
For those who want to ponder a little more widely, there are some messages here for those running commercial organisations, too.<br />
<br />
I'd love to know what you think. Please make your comments below.<br />
<br />
More information about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-67134682809001426952013-12-01T18:07:00.000+11:002013-12-02T08:40:02.151+11:00Tricky or downright dishonest?<i>"We will keep the promise that we made. It's not the promise that some
people thought we made, or that some people might have liked us to
make," </i>Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Sunday December 1, 2013 in relation to funding of education in Australia.<br />
<br />
Prior to the September 7 Federal Election in Australia, the issue of funding for education threatened to become a "wedge" item for the Liberal-National Party Coalition. The then Government (Labor) was using the Gonski Committee recommendations to illustrate a clear difference in policy - one (the Gonski Reforms) that would provide equitable funding for every student and the existing system that ensured non-government schools that were able to charge fees on top of funding received had a distinct financial advantage over government schools. When the possible wedge became apparent, the Coalition promised to meet Labor's Better Schools funding promises and this was promoted as showing that there was no difference between the parties. Voters went to the September7 election clearly believing that the Gonski Reforms would apply no matter who the new government might be.<br />
<br />
<b>Tricky Tony</b>! Right up there along with Tricky Dickie (President Richard Nixon) of so many years ago.<br />
<br />
There is no doubt in my mind that, despite Tony Abbott's statement today, his statements prior to the September 7 election and the public relations exercises that accompanied these regarding education were deliberately designed to have people think that the Gonski Reforms were now "set in stone". What Abbott is now saying is "We haven't changed a thing. If you believed something other than what we are now saying then you were stupid!"<br />
<br />
Prime Minister Abbott, we expect people like you to "to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". If we examine your words closely, it is clear that you told us the truth but you didn't tell us the whole truth - you provided us with a statement that could be labelled "suggestio falsi" - a Latin phrase meaning suggestion of
something which is untrue. I'm not a lawyer but I understand that suggestio falsi
are grounds for rescinding an agreement because suggestio falsi amounts to a
fraud whenever the party making it was bound to disclose the truth.<br />
<br />
The problem that I have with what we are now seeing from Tony Abbott is that, despite all our hopes for a good government, he is proving the truth of a statement he made many years ago (prior to the 2010 Federal Election) when he said in effect "you can't trust anything I say. The only things that can be relied on are those that are in writing." Like many others, I had hoped that this soundbite was just a throwaway line and that the truth was different.<br />
<br />
Clearly I was wrong. <b>Tricky Tony</b> is telling me that he cannot be taken at face value; that I have to examine the fine print on anything that is written and to pin him down to very tight specifics on anything that he says.<br />
<br />
Prime Minister I am not stupid and neither are most of the other people who voted for you and your Coalition Parties in the last election. We believed you when you said you would govern for all Australians. We believed you when you said your government would not give us any surprises. We took you at your word and I for one am now bitterly disappointed.<br />
<br />
The question I am now asking is "Is Tony Abbott simply tricky or are you downright dishonest?" Either way you are quickly losing my trust. Your actions over the next few years will give us the answer - tricky or dishonest could mean you head a one-term government.<br />
<br />
I'd love to know what you think. Please leave your comments below.<br />
<br />
More information about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br />
<br />Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-64119650767604377292013-11-26T17:48:00.000+11:002013-12-03T14:03:02.551+11:00Why Don't We Get What We Want?It is now late November 2013 and two different national Opinion Polls released yesterday and today both show a similar story - the current Australian Government, elected only a month or so back, is losing the confidence of the Australian people. In fact, according to one Poll, the decline of the party in power (the Liberal-National Coalition) has been the fastest in Australian history.<br />
<br />
To say that this decline is extremely surprising to many of us is to use strong understatement.<br />
<br />
On 7 September 2013 Australians elected the Liberal National Coalition as Australia's Federal Government. The result was clear and unequivocal. In the House of Representatives the Coalition received an unassailable majority and in the Senate it was clear that the conservative vote (even if not for the Coalition per se) meant that the new Senate will be dominated by basically conservatives. Yet now, not 3 months later, the Polls say that, if an election had been held last week, the result may have been quite different - almost certainly the Coalition would still have won but its majority would have been significantly less.<br />
<br />
As the late Professor Sumner Miller used to say, when speaking of science matters on Australian TV, "Why is this so?"<br />
<br />
I suggest there are 2 reasons why this has occurred. I also suggest that failure to deal with these reasons could, potentially, lead to the previously unthinkable scenario that was suggested to me last week at a workshop I was conducting for senior business leaders. At that workshop a very senior leader with extremely strong Liberal Party connections and a person who is very much "in touch" with public opinion stated that we needed to face the possibility that the Abbott Government could be a "one-term" Government!<br />
<br />
So let's look at the two reasons:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Getting rid of what you don't want is vastly different from getting what you do want.</li>
<li>The very things that have made you successful in the past are the same things that can stop you being successful in the future.</li>
</ol>
<b>Getting rid of what you don't want is vastly different from getting what you do want.</b> <br />
During its period in power, the Labor Government under both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard had become increasingly dysfunctional. It had done some good things under both Prime Ministers but the factional in-fighting and the increasingly poisonous relationship between Kevin Rudd (and his supporters) and Julia Gillard (and her supporters) meant that there was increasing disenchantment with the Government and a reluctance to believe that it had any answers to the issues facing Australia. Accordingly, at the election on September 7, there was a strong consensus that "this lot has got to go". It was widely felt that anything would be better than what we had!<br />
<br />
I think that what this first round of Polling is telling is that right now, based on what we have seen over the past couple of months, lots of people are saying "despite our earlier optimism, unfortunately right now we can't see that this current Government is the utopian answer for which we had been seeking."<br />
<br />
<b>The very things that have made you successful in the past are the same things that can stop you being successful in the future</b><br />
Some 20 years ago I was at a conference in California where one of the key<b> </b>speakers was a successful businessman named Jim Belasco (author of the book "<i>Teaching the Elephant to Dance"</i>). Belsaco said that over his years<b> </b>in business one of the hardest lessons he had to learn was that those very behaviours that had made him successful in the past were the very behaviours that would stop him being successful in the future. The further he moved up the hierarchy, successfully encountering new challenges meant that he needed to use new behaviours.<br />
<b><br /></b>
There is no doubt that Tony Abbott, Australia's current Prime Minister, was one of the most effective Parliamentary Opposition<b> </b>Leaders in Australia's recent history - and possible <i><b>the</b></i> most effective. His pugnacious, take-no-prisoners, approach in which he largely succeeded in dictating the political agenda meant that he dominated the media and facilitated much of the negative perception with which the Labor Government came to be seen. As a Rhodes' Scholar, Tony Abbot was a Boxing Blue and I am sure that during this period he learned that there is a huge difference in the behaviour required of a challenger as opposed to that of a defending title holder. He needs to apply this knowledge now - both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard failed to appropriately change behaviours and I doubt that Tony Abbot wants to be in the same camp as them.<br />
<br />
"So what," you may say. "This was the first set of Opinion Polls for the new Government and there is a long time before the next Federal election must be called." Very true and I, for one, am always sceptical of opinion polls because they can become self-fulfilling. I know about "lies, damned lies, and statistics!". But, in this case, it may be an early warning sign - something that says "here's something to be aware of but don't be too concerned at this stage".<br />
<br />
In my latest book <i><b>Delivering High Performance: The Third Generation Organisation</b></i> (2013, Gower Publications, London) I make the point that there is plenty of evidence worldwide to support the view that the Chairman of any organisation sets the tone for the entire organisation and that, where inappropriate behaviour is found anywhere in the organisation, it is usually quite easy to show a direct linkage between the behaviour exhibited and the standards set and policed by the Chairman. Tony Abbott is, in effect, the Chairman of the organisation "Australia". Already since September 7 we have been regaled with possible abuses of the Parliamentary expenses system across both major parties and involving senior members of the Government (including Tony Abbott himself). Already we are seeing the same pugnacious, "I'm not going to listen to what the people say", approach from Ministers of the Crown as they showed when Opposition Spokespeople on various Ministries. This isn't going down well with lots of people and I think these first 2 Opinion Polls indicate this.<br />
<br />
It will be interesting to see if Tony Abbott, an undoubtedly highly intelligent person, can make the necessary behavioural transitions from being a highly successful Leader of the Opposition to now become a highly successful Prime Minister. Kevin Rudd couldn't.<br />
<br />
I'd love to know what you think. Please comment below. <br />
<br />
More information about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br />
<br />Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-6275902013857050122013-02-14T11:35:00.000+11:002013-02-14T11:35:05.275+11:00Winning is everything?I think it was the UCLA Bruins coach, Red Sanders who, around 1950, is reputed to have said "Winning isn't everything: its the only thing!"<br />
<br />
It seems that this has been taken to heart by athletes over the years - of most recent note internationally we have it in the person of Lance Armstrong and, just the other week, in the widely publicised claims by the Australian Crimes Commission relating to a range of sports in Australia. If only "the end" is important than how you get there is irrelevant. Cheating, whether by the use of drugs or any in other form, is always a case of "the end justifies the means".<br />
<br />
But its not just in sport that we find illegal and/or immoral behaviour. In Sydney right now the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating how a then member of the New South Wales Parliament stood to gain up to $100 million in a matter of months from an investment of around $4million - it is claimed that a then Government Minister manipulated matters to ensure that his colleague benefitted. The hearing is being closely watched across the State with drama being played out every day and the final findings will be eagerly awaited whether or not corruption is held to have occurred.<br />
<br />
There are questions in the business realm also. For years Australian consumers have been forced to pay significantly more for identical products when they are purchased in or from Australia rather than in the USA. In fact a recent enquiry showed that, for one product, it was cheaper to pay for a return airfare to the USA and purchase an item on-line there than it was to purchase the same item on-line in Australia. There is now a Federal Government enquiry being conducted into this possible price gouging and Microsoft and Apple (among others) have been summonsed to appear after they refused invitations to voluntarily appear. They are being asked to justify why identical products, both sourced from the same location and requiring no additional expenditure by the supplier, have such a huge price variance other than 'the end (profit) justifies the means'.<br />
<br />
There is no doubt that winning is important. Equally there is no doubt that almost always (other than in some non-existent utopia) there are winners and losers in every arena of activity. This is normal and natural. However "how" you win should always be at least as important than the winning itself.<br />
<br />
Recently I've been involved with a company that changed its "how" of doing business. Three years ago it was turning over around $55million annually for about $1million profit. Last year, without reducing staff levels, remuneration, or any employee benefits and while remaining a local manufacturing and distribution business they had revenues of around $70million for a profit of around $11million. Three years ago they saw themselves as losers. Today they know they are winners - all because they took a different approach to "how" and concentrated on a new form of leadership.<br />
<br />
What happens in your organisation? Where is the emphasis - on the "what", the "how" or both?<br />
<br />
Winning is important. But its not the only thing.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Please add your comments below.<br />
<br />
More information about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com </a>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-18459987608825675422013-02-08T13:24:00.000+11:002013-02-08T13:24:44.550+11:00Committed to the job?Last November Gower publishing commissioned me to write a follow up to "<i>Third Generation Leadership and the Locus of Control</i>". Although <i>Third Generation Leadership</i> had only been released in September 2012, the interest in it was sufficient for them to want a "how to" book that showed Third Generation Leadership in action. For the last few months I've been totally engrossed in the new book because I had an end of January deadline if it was to be released this year. I've now sent it to them!<br />
<br />
Third Generation Leadership is all about harnessing the energies of people so that they become engaged with their leaders and committed to helping their organisation achieve desired results. I chose to centre the new work around an Australian manufacturing operation of around 350 people (mixture of full-time, part-time, and casual) that, when I first became involved, had a turnover of around $55 million for earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $1 million and was considering moving its operations off shore in order to remain viable. Two years later, while remaining in Australia and without reducing staff levels or impacting negatively on any entitlements, the company had a turnover of around $70 million for an EBIT of around $11 million. The change had come about by harnessing everyone's energies and creating an environment where people wanted to help the company succeed - they had become engaged with their leaders (and each other) and committed to their company.<br />
<br />
While I was working on the book it was sad to see a number of well-known Australian companies continuing a different approach - the traditional one of getting rid of staff in order to improve profitability. Most of the companies that I have observed taking this route are companies that have spoken frequently of the need for employee engagement and commitment. There's a bit of a disconnect here! It started me wondering about whether engagement and commitment really exists across organisations and, if it does, where in the organisation is one most likely to find engagement and commitment and, related to this, to what are most people really committed in the workplace. In answering these questions it seems to me that there are several myths that need to be addressed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Myth 1 - <span style="font-size: small;">High pay brings engagement and <span style="font-size: small;">c</span>ommitment:</span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">There is a <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">simplistic </span></span>view that providing very high remuneration packages to CEO's and executives will bring about the level of engagement and commitment necessary to achieve high profitability - those receiving this money will demonstrate high productivity<span style="font-size: small;"> and <span style="font-size: small;">ensure the success of the company</span></span>. This is supported by a 2011 study from the University of South Carolina which found a positive correlation between executive remuneration and organisational performance as measured by return on equity. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(<a href="http://astonjournals.com/manuscripts/Vol2011/BEJ-31_Vol2011.pdf">http://astonjournals.com/manuscripts/Vol2011/BEJ-31_Vol2011.pdf</a> ) However another study - done in Australia - <span style="font-size: small;">considered return on equity, share price change, and change in earnings per share. This study concluded that there was no positive link between high executive pay and company <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">performance - in fact they concluded that ultimately high executive pay levels actually coincides with a lower bottom line. (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Hot+Topics+-+Shields+report+Executive+salaries/$FILE/Buck+stops+here.pdf">http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Hot+Topics+-+Shields+report+Executive+salaries/$FILE/Buck+stops+here.pdf</a>) </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: small;">very</span></span> high levels of remuneration really do provide high levels of engagement, commitment<span style="font-size: small;">,</span> productivity and success then why do we find resistance to increasing the remuneration of those at the lower echelons of organisations?<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">If</span> it works for those at the top, why don't the same principles apply for everyone else? After all, without the people at the lower echelons there would be nothing for those at the top<span style="font-size: small;"> - and vice versa - there is a symbiotic relationship between organisational levels. The truth is that high remuneration eventually becomes a<span style="font-size: small;">n end in itself - a status symbol - and that indicates commitment to oneself - not to one's organisation and its long term viability.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>My<span style="font-size: small;">th 2 - </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">"Strong" leadership will engender commitment</span>:</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a time when we didn't talk of 'leadership" as such. U<span style="font-size: small;">ntil r<span style="font-size: small;">elatively recently we recognised command and control for what it was and accepted that one's place in the hierarchy determined what say one had in how an organisation was run - we called it "command" and/or "management" and it worked very well.</span></span></span></span> Today we seem to speak almost exclusively of "leadership" yet, in many cases, we are not talking about inspiring people to move forward nor to creating an environment in which everyone can be successful - instead we are really still talking about command and control. Those who exercise this are regaled as "strong" leaders despite the fact that such an approach almost always degenerates into power and control games such as we see daily in politics, business, sport, religion, domestic relations, etc.<br />
<br />
The truth is that "strong" leadership discourages true engagement and commitment. "Strong" leadership brings about a situation in which people obey or conform primarily out of fear. In such environments creativity and innovation drop because no-one wants to "rock the boat" - and certainly no-one is prepared to tell the boss that he or she is wrong - even when this is patently obvious.<br />
<br />
<br />
The organisation that moved from $1million to $11million EBIT in 2 years used a different approach. There the Board and executive worked <i><b>with</b></i> their people and that transformed everything.<br />
<br />
What has been your experience? <br />
<br />
More information about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a>. <br />
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-33921097601485439252012-10-10T20:27:00.001+11:002012-10-10T20:27:21.471+11:00The Real Trouble With Free SpeechIn his excellent book, "<i>Worse Than War</i>" (2009, Public Affairs, New York), Daniel Jonah Goldhagen explores the issues of "<i>genocide, elimination, and the on-going assault on humanity</i>". At the end of Chapter 9 he makes the comment "actual minds create actual worlds". His point is that what we think about other people and what we believe should be "our" world eventually becomes the "actual world" for us. When an opportunity then arises where we can bring that world into being, we tend to grab it with both hands. If our thinking is around the exclusiveness of our family, our group, our race, etc then, when given the opportunity we will try to ensure everyone else acknowledges this and yields to our wishes. "We are in control". The result is often "worse than war".<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as the issue of free speech has been debated in the Australian media. In an earlier blog, talking about the incidence which started this latest discussion on free speech, I said:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">"Before I
proceed, let me make some things clear. First in relation to free speech. In my
new book </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">"Third Generation
Leadership and the Locus of Control: knowledge, change and neuroscience" </span></i><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">(2012, Gower
Publications, UK)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> I make the following statement:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I have spent my life believing in the power
of a democratic society where the rule of law ensures that people will not be
imprisoned without trial; that habeas corpus is a vital component of a free
society; that secret police and interrogation without legal representation is
wrong and an abuse of power; that freedom of faith, speech and association are
inalienable rights – even if I disagree totally with what you say, believe or with
whom you associate, you have an absolute right to say what you want, follow the
faith or non-faith of your choice, and associate with whoever you wish."</span></div>
<br />
There are many people in every society who don't think critically about what they hear on the radio, see on TV or in the movies, or read in the newspaper. People who specialise in propaganda (from Goebbels down) have known and do know this. The result is that they are fully aware that if you say something often enough and authoritatively enough, eventually many people will believe it even if it is palpably untrue. For this reason every person and/or party pushing a particular agenda seeks to ensure that their message is propounded strongly and often. The role of "shock jocks" in the media is often critical in this. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some would argue that this then becomes an abuse of "freedom of speech". I disagree. The real trouble with freedom of speech is that, all too often, the right to speak out is too seldom used by those of us who do apply our critical faculties to what we hear, what we see, and what we read. This failure by us to speak out ultimately runs the risk of letting "the inmates run the asylum". If that happens then, as Goldhagen makes very clear,<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> the
following words by Pastor Martin Niemoller (which originally applied to Nazi Germany) could have increasing relevance in today’s society no matter where that society may be:</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 144pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">First they came for the Jews<br />
and I did not speak out<br />
because I was not a Jew.<br />
Then they came for the Communists<br />
and I did not speak out<br />
because I was not a Communist.<br />
Then they came for the trade unionists<br />
and I did not speak out<br />
because I was not a trade unionist.<br />
Then they came for me<br />
and there was no one left<br />
to speak out for me.</span></div>
<br /><br />
<br />
What sort of "actual world" do you want? If we are concerned about the messages promulgated by radio, TV, films and/or newspapers our response should not be to advocate some form of censorship. Rather our response should be to ensure that our voices are heard along with the others. But let's make sure we do this in an acceptable and respectful manner. A mark of true leadership is that we ensure all voices are heard - not just those who promote bigotry and discrimination.<br />
<br />
What do you think?<br />
<br />
More about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-14238831924416445242012-10-04T13:58:00.000+10:002012-10-04T13:58:40.320+10:00How you respond tells a lot<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"> </span>Recently I made a serious mistake. A week
or so back I read a magazine and thought the material in it was interesting and
informative. It contained an article on leadership and I wondered whether the
publishers were interested in extending this to a dialogue. So I submitted a
brief (1100 words) article and asked whether they accepted unsolicited
material. I have done this before and, in a number of instances, my material
has been edited and printed – invariably with the result that more articles
appeared from other people and some good dialogue took place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-AU"></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Yesterday I heard back from the publishers who
told me that their contributors all paid for the privilege of having their
articles published. I was offered a deal of 3 articles providing I paid $900
(plus GST) for each one. Over the years I have submitted many articles to newspapers and
magazines (and have been paid by the magazines every time a submission has been
accepted) but this is the first time that any publication anywhere in the world
has asked me to pay to have a submission published. I politely refused the
offer, explaining: “</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It
appears as though I totally misunderstood your magazine – I didn’t realise that
its articles were actually advertising promotions rather than informative material
to foster general understanding and debate”. I also pointed out that nowhere in their magazine could I find anything to indicate its articles were actually paid advertising.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Did I
get a response? Sure did and it amazed me. Within minutes the publisher
replied:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Dear Doug, <br />
<br />
Thank you for your prompt response. I believe that some part of the society
under the influence of the current government and their green comrades has
stopped realising that we still live in a capitalistic society and all products
in the market place must be paid for.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your help and please let all your associates and business friends
know that they shouldn’t expect something for nothing from others trying to
increase their business profile and/or sell their valuable knowledge and
products. I received 4 requests including your kind offer just today to provide
my business services for free.<br />
<br />
We also have a very informative and self-explanatory website where you and your
associates can easily find all the information on how to advertise and
contribute an article in ZZZ Magazine.<br />
<br />
I wish you all the best in helping others and yourself release your and their
potential in yourself, themselves and others.<br />
<br />
Yours truly,<br />
<br />
ZZZ<br />
<br />
PS I suggest you to request help from comrades in ABC for some free media
space.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I have talked a lot over the years about
the areas of our brain that control how we think and act. Regular readers will
be fully aware of the “red zone” – “blue zone” dichotomy that impacts and
determines whether we are predisposed to a First Generation Leadership, a
Second Generation Leadership, or a Third Generation Leadership approach. My new
book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Third Generation Leadership and the
Locus of Control: knowledge, change and neuroscience</i> (2012, Gower Publications, UK)
sets this out in some detail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Clearly the publisher of the magazine with
which I was in contact operates from the “red zone”. The result is that an
innocent attempt to develop a dialogue draws a response that tells us more
about the responder than perhaps he realises.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">One of the major problems I see in society
today is that the “red zone” is the default for most of those in roles of leadership,
authority, and influence. This is seen across the board whether we are talking
politics, business, religion, or anything else. The result is a closing down of
real dialogue and an attempt to “put down” or denigrate those who may have an
opinion or stance that is different from one’s own. All too often it leads to
extreme “right wing” and/or “left wing” positions that do little, if anything,
to bring about a creative, innovative society.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Unconditional respect for all people
regardless of any discriminating factor is the underlying concept of Third
Generation Leadership and of the “blue zone” area of our brain’s locus of
control. A key aspect of unconditional respect is that it never insults or
denigrates the thinking of another. This publisher’s response adds
reinforcement to the call for us to embrace a new way of interacting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Do you ever ponder on what the responses
you make or receive really tell the recipient? I do!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I’d love to know what you think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">More information about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-57504847058753938582012-10-01T17:41:00.000+10:002012-10-01T17:41:07.286+10:00What Alan Jones’ comments really tell us<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Over this past
weekend it has become clear that one of Australia’s most influential
broadcasters – someone who is sometimes labelled a “shock jock” grossly
overstepped the mark in a virulent and totally offensive set of remarks about
the Prime Minister and the very recent death of her father.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-AU"></span><span lang="EN-AU"> </span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Before I
proceed, let me make some things clear. First in relation to free speech. In my
new book </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">"Third Generation
Leadership and the Locus of Control: knowledge, change and neuroscience" </span></i><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">(2012, Gower
Publications, UK)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> I make the following statement:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I have spent my life believing in the power
of a democratic society where the rule of law ensures that people will not be
imprisoned without trial; that habeas corpus is a vital component of a free
society; that secret police and interrogation without legal representation is
wrong and an abuse of power; that freedom of faith, speech and association are
inalienable rights – even if I disagree totally with what you say, believe or with
whom you associate, you have an absolute right to say what you want, follow the
faith or non-faith of your choice, and associate with whoever you wish.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Second, in
relation to politics. I am a past member of the Liberal Party in Australia and was
once asked to nominate for Federal Parliament. I am no longer a member of any
political party and, again as I say in </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">"Third
Generation Leadership and the Locus of Control: knowledge, change and
neuroscience",</span></i><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;"> I think a strong case can be made for arguing that the
rise of political parties is a sign of the decline of democracy. For that
reason I support independent candidates at elections.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">In other words, I write
this with no political agenda and from a perspective which believes Alan Jones
(and anyone else) has an absolute right to free speech.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes;">I believe that attacks such
as this one by Jones tells us a lot about Jones and, from the fact that, with
one exception, no-one at the function where he made the remarks appears to have
been offended by them, we learn something about the people who were present
that evening. It tells me that these people have no real concept of the
unconditional respect for a person that ought to be the hallmark of leaders and
aspiring leaders. It indicates to me that these people are ones who are
lacking in true self-confidence and who compensate for this lack by a retreat into
some form of fundamentalism and attack. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Third
Generation Leadership and the Locus of Control: knowledge, change and
neuroscience",</i> I say:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Self-confident people are those who
understand that there is no need for any form of ‘talking down to’ or ‘putting
down of’ other people. Self-confident people are those who always treat others
with respect and who, as a result, ultimately expect to earn trust and respect
for themselves ... A self-confident person is one who is always cognisant of the fact that
everyone has his or her own issues with which they have to deal. .... Self-confidence is not weakness or any behaviour
that indicates a lack of personal resolve. But neither is it the bold, brassy
over-confidence that is encountered in the worst examples of some who seek to
place unacceptable levels of pressure on people in order to achieve results. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">Alan Jones (and
his supporters) exhibits all the signs of a G1 Leader and of what I term "First
Generation Leadership” – an approach that became challenged during the 1950’s
and which has long since reached its “use-by” date. This is a male-dominated,
“born-to-rule” approach in which the leader considers himself (it is usually a
male) beyond reproach and with no need to show any respect to others unless
they comply with his thinking and demands. Invariably First Generation
Leadership and bullying are inextricably intertwined.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">If a person
wants to be a grub and/or a bully, that is their prerogative. But the existence
of grubs and bullies should alert us to the need to change both what we look
for in leaders and how we behave as leaders. What do you think?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-AU">More about
Douglas Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-55612334172848533012012-09-25T11:52:00.000+10:002012-09-25T16:59:34.097+10:00#Claymore, NSW: a failure in leadership<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) has a weekly program called “4Corners”. Last night the program was about
poverty in Australia and it
posed the question of why, in one of the richest nations on earth, Australia has
some 2.2 million people existing at or below the poverty line and some 600,000
children live in a home where no-one has a job. (The program can be viewed at <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/1009153">http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/1009153</a>)
</span></div>
<span lang="EN-AU"></span><span lang="EN-AU"> </span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">To illustrate this situation 4Corners chose
to visit Claymore – a town of about 3,200 people located about 50 km from the
centre of Sydney.
This town has the highest proportion of young children in Australia with
around 1500 children living in a 1.5 km distance. The program pointed out that,
a few years ago, the NSW Government realised that there was a serious problem
with the way Claymore had been set up and they decided to tear down much of the
town and rebuild it to encourage a wider population mix. The Federal Government
agreed to help; joint funding was provided and work started. However, when the
new NSW Government came into power they decided that this was an area in which
they could save money so the program is now in limbo. The realistic cynic in me
suggests that it was an easy target for the money savers because they knew
there would be little if any outcry from such an impoverished community.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Some years ago an article in, I think,
Harvard Business Review argued that a primary role of leadership was to set
people up to succeed rather than letting success be a random end variable. This
was a theme I had been propounding in my program <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Leadership In Senior Management”</i> (then being conducted at
Macquarie Graduate School of Management) and which I continued in both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Leaders: diamonds or cubic zirconia</i> and,
most recently, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Third Generation
Leadership: knowledge, change and neuroscience (2012, Gower Publications, UK).</i>
Claymore (and all other such areas no matter where in the world they may be) is
clearly a failure in leadership.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I watched this program last night with an
ever increasing feeling of anger and frustration. How and why has this
situation come about? The people in Claymore (and in every other similar area)
are no different from the rest of us. They are born with exactly the same
potential as every other baby. They have every right to exactly the same hopes,
ambitions, and opportunities as every other child. Yet, looking at the faces of
these children and listening to them it was obvious that they live in a
socio-economic environment that sets them up for failure and which, ultimately,
destroys many of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I had heard of Claymore before the 4Corners
program. I had paid lip service to being concerned. But I had done nothing. By
my inaction I had become part of the problem – I was no better than the
politicians who cut the funding required to renew the area. My anger and
frustration was directed at myself as much as to anyone else. I lay awake last
night and thought about what I needed to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I have decided to become part of the
solution and I invite you to join me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Claymore (like all of its similar areas)
was established or allowed to establish itself at a time when our dominant
leadership paradigm was First Generation Leadership or Second Generation
Leadership. In these models the leaders know what is best and seek to impose
their solution - albeit often under a guise of community consultation and
discussion. As so often happens, in these models, yesterday’s solutions have become
today’s problem. The root cause of the problem was never really addressed and,
like a boil which is treated only by applying some form of medical dressing, it
later erupts in a more painful and virulent form. First Generation Leadership
and Second Generation Leadership have proved to be tragic failures in Claymore
and similar areas. We need a new approach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Third
Generation Leadership: knowledge, change and neuroscience</i> I discuss how
individuals can grow and develop when this is facilitated by the right type of
leadership – a leadership that believes the answer to a person’s issues is to
be found within that person and where the leader listens in the belief that, with
supportive facilitation, the person can actually find their own answer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I don’t have the answer on how to change
the socio-economic situation in Claymore and I don’t believe anyone who says
they have “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the”</i></b> solution. Every situation is different and what has worked
somewhere else has only a random chance of working here. I believe that the answer
to Claymore’s (and every area similar to Claymore) problems is to be found in
its own community. I believe that there are many people in Claymore who know
how the situation can be changed and who want the situation to change. I
believe, too, that they feel powerless to do anything because they know that
they’re not being listened to and that they will not be listened to unless they
say what those with power and authority want them to say. I believe these
people are experiencing learned helplessness from the way in which they have
been and are being treated by Governments and society at large. This presents
an enormous challenge.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">There are two key things to remember if you
want to join me:</span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-AU">First, people don’t “have” to change.
Ultimately the decision as to whether or not a person wants to develop a new
world view and to grow is a choice that only each individual can make for him
or herself.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-AU">Second, remember that willingness to change
is very difficult when a person feels totally helpless and disrespected</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">From experience, I know that the path
forward is to create an</span><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> environment in which people feel:</span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">emotionally safe</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">unconditionally respected</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">believed in as individuals</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-AU" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">listened to</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I’m unsure as to how to do this for an entire
community. But I’m sure it can be done – and I know it must be done.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">If you want to be part of the solution to
the issues at Claymore (or any area like Claymore no matter where in the world
it may be) I invite you to make contact with me and help me move this forward.
I know it will take time and money and lots of effort. But I believe the
potential end result is worth it. I’m prepared to put in my time, money, and
effort. But I need help – tons of it. If you really believe in people and you
have a “can do” approach, please join me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">If we don’t put a fence at the top of the
cliff we may not have enough ambulances to care for those who fall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">More about Doug Long at <a href="http://www.dglong.com/">http://www.dglong.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-22100662984885303062012-07-12T13:20:00.013+10:002012-07-12T14:50:25.681+10:00Pondering on ParanoiaThere's an old joke that goes something along the lines of; "I'm not paranoid. I just think everyone's out to get me!"<br /><br />I thought of this when I saw recently that the Australian Security Services and Police want to have legislation forcing all Australian telephone and internet usage to be retained for two years so that these records are available if and when the authorities want to have access to them. The argument is that technology today makes it relatively easy for those with criminal intent to communicate in ways that make it increasingly difficult for the authorities to keep track of what is going on. In turn this makes the task of safekeeping Australia and Australians more difficult.<br /><br />Ever since the events of 9/11 we have seen knee-jerk reactions to the issues of security and policing. The fear of possible terrorist attacks has been used to introduce legislation that subverts long-held and immensely valuable principles such as individual rights to privacy and to free association, the presumption of innocence, the right to legal representation, habeas corpus, and a transparent legal process. Today in most of the western world - certainly in the USA, Great Britain, and Australia - we have legislation similar to that which traditionally has been used only by totalitarian or potentially totalitarian regimes. This has lead to activities by our Police and Security Services today which, in an earlier time such as the Cold War period, we in the west rightly condemned.<br /><br />Those supporting this shift argue that, for those with nothing to hide, there is nothing to fear. Of course, in theory, they are right. However taking such a stance is really to consider the issue from a simplistic perspective. It is based on the premises that those in authority will always act in ways that are totally ethical and that they will always observe strict probity - and such premises are palpably false as is shown regularly by the all-too-frequent investigations into corruption and unethical behaviour of those in positions of trust.<br /><br />Some years ago I was appointed a Justice of the Peace in Victoria and, subsequent to that, I sat on the Bench at two local Magistrate's Courts in Melbourne.<span style="" lang="EN-AU"> Prior to sitting on the Bench all of us being commissioned were sworn by the Chief justice of Victoria. During this swearing-in ceremony as an Honorary Justice at the Supreme Court in Melbourne the Chief Justice of Victoria reminded those of us being sworn that, as persons now empowered to fix bail for accused persons, to sentence guilty people to periods of imprisonment and/or to impose monetary penalties, to authorise search warrants, to issue arrest warrants, and perform other activities involved in the legal process we had to ensure that we did not abuse our powers nor allow others to abuse the legal system – the rights of all people were to be respected in the administration of justice.<br /><br />Criminal activity - including terrorism - is always wrong. But there are serious dangers in allowing untrammelled access to private conversations and legal activities and even more serious dangers in allowing basic legal rights to be removed. And activities which hide behind the screen of "in the national interest" so as to avoid any form of judicial or public investigation are the most dangerous of all. These, as the past has tragically taught us, always contain within them the potential for totalitarianism to emerge.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial" lang="EN-AU"><br /><br />There is a balance required. However moving further along the path envisaged by George Orwell's "1984" is far from the way we ought to be moving.<br /><br />Many years ago, Pastor Martin Niemöller in Germany wrote a well known piece lamenting indifference to abuses and atrocities conducted in Nazi Germany. He spoke of general indifference and inaction regarding Nazi treatment of the Jews, Communists, and Trade Unionists before concluding:</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:2.0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family: Arial" lang="EN-AU">Then they came for me<br />and there was no one left<br />to speak out for me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:2.0in"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial" lang="EN-AU">Pastor Martin Niemöller</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial" lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></i></p> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-AU;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" lang="EN-AU">Unless we see some real leadership that challenges current political and security agendas, then I am very worried that Niemöller’s words from yesterday may well be our epitaph tomorrow.</span>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-70943852429101919652012-07-11T11:20:00.008+10:002012-07-11T12:20:25.095+10:00Your trumpet callsYesterday I was doing some shopping and, while waiting for service, I casually read the signs alongside the counter. One in particular caught my eye. Written in red on a white background was an A4 card with the words "HFM only stock Australian product".<br /><br />Over recent months there has been much in the press about retailers sourcing product from outside Australia. Go to your local butcher, fishmonger, fruit and vegetable vendor, and, especially, your major supermarket chains and the probability is that much of the product is sourced from outside Australia. Many in the Australian community are concerned about this and people such as the entrepreneur Dick Smith constantly exhort us to think about the source of product when we are buying anything.<br /><br />I'd never seen this sign before - I buy from specialist shops rather than from supermarkets wherever possible because I believe the supermarkets need competition and small local retailers are the best source of this. But the sign still made a difference in my attitude to HFM - it made me feel even more positive towards them.<br /><br />I looked again at the prices shown in the shop where I was waiting. They were very comparable with those in the supermarket next door - clearly no premium for buying the Australian product. When, a few seconds later, I was served, I commented that the sign ought to be larger and that HFM should make more of this. The person at the counter didn't really seem to understand what I was saying. He smiled and agreed but, today, nothing had changed.<br /><br />The statement that "HFM only stock Australian product" is a strong marketing claim that sets it aside from its larger competition. It is a critical point of differentiation. Yet it seems to have been made almost as an aside by someone who obviously knows its important yet doesn't seem to know how to make the message stand out.<br /><br />It set me thinking.<br /><br />How often do all of us have clear and important points of differentiation yet we either fail to recognise them or we fail to make them clearly and prominently enough. I, for one, am sure that this is an area in which I screw up quite often.<br /><br />It reminded me of a statement I heard long ago: "<span style="font-style: italic;">If the trumpet doesn't make a clear call, who will get ready for battle?</span>" And also of another statement once heard at a seminar: "<span style="font-style: italic;">if you don't blow your own trumpet, someone else may use it as a spittoon!</span>"<br /><br />In today's highly competitive environment, whatever goods and/or services we are offering can easily be confused with commodities - the similarities are such that prospective customers/clients bag everything together and, in lieu of clear differentiation, make buying decisions on price or familiarity. This can make things especially difficult for the small operator or for the new entrant to any field.<br /><br />Points of differentiation should be trumpet calls.<br /><br />How clear is your trumpet call of what makes you different and why people should buy from you? It needs to be very clear. It needs to be loud. And it needs to be frequent.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-26439378266211479522012-06-25T18:50:00.009+10:002012-06-29T11:38:19.542+10:00Stop the PPM NOW!<div style="text-align: justify;">So the Australian Federal Parliament has gone into the winter recess without resolving the issue of desperate people trying to get a better life - refugees - by risking their lives on inadequate boats. I have no doubt that, despite the shows of emotion during the debates, we will now be regaled by blame apportioning - each side will blame the other for its intransigence and, no matter what the rhetoric, all will try to make political capital out of the fiasco and tragedy.<br /><br />Our politicians are showing themselves exemplars of PPM - Piss Poor Management. They say that political points should not be made out of this. They claim to be interested in and concerned about the refugees. Then go and continue their puerile facade of blaming each other for a failure to stop the boats coming. Their behaviour belies their words. Their behaviour makes it clear that they don't give a damn about the refugees - they are interested only in their own political stance and the possibility of retaining or obtaining power. This applies to all the political parties in our Federal Parliament.<br /><br />Like many others, I've had enough of the negativism from the Coalition opposition. I've had enough of the resolute refusal to consider any view but their own from the Greens. And I've had enough of the "do it my way" from the Labor government. And I've more than had enough of the rambling rhetoric of the radio and news media shock jocks who foster extremist views through their commentary on the refugees themselves and on any attempt to take a truly humanitarian stance in dealing with them. And I am totally fed up with the demonising of refugees coming by boat when, in reality, they comprise only a small proportion of the illegal migrants in Australia who have arrived legally, mainly by air, and then overstayed their visas.<br /><br />It is not an offence to be a refugee. It is not an offence to flee from perceived persecution. It is not an offence to be so desperate that you get on an unseaworthy vessel, travel huge distances, and endure untold hardship in order to find a better life for yourself and your family.<br /><br />After World War II we took in huge numbers of refugees from Europe. Some of what, today, are our most successful business operations were founded from amongst these numbers. After the Vietnam War we took in thousands of refugees. Today many of these are making their mark as valuable contributors to our society. What's different with these new people?<br /><br />Part of the reason they are refugees is that we have helped destroy their homelands. We invaded Iraq on a lie; we invaded Afghanistan on a pretext; we are complicit in terrorising people in Pakistan's border areas through the use of drones that kill the innocent along with the possibly guilty. We rightly mourn the deaths of our own solidiers in these conflicts; we are rightly concerned at the physical and emotional injuries suffered by our soldiers in these conflicts - but what about the innocent victims - the "collateral damage" -in these countries. This is the source of the refugees. We share a significant proportion of the blame for their condition because we have contributed to their plight.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I understand that true leadership is a foreign concept to our politicians, but, just for once, it would be great to see them look at the really big picture then do the right thing - place genuine concern for these refugees that we have helped create ahead of their petty political posturing. Until they do that then the task given to former defence chief, Angus Houston, is the ultimate act of cynicism (and that's no reflection on Angus Houston - its just that he's not being set up for success.)<br /><br />People are dying while politicians play games. That's Piss Poor Management at its worst.<br /><br />Our politicians need to stop this PPM now.<br /></div>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-38263125037899389982012-06-09T14:29:00.016+10:002012-06-11T14:19:40.466+10:00Empires - building and destroying - high evidence of PPMOne of my neighbours used to be a Police Officer. From time to time we chat and set the world to rights - someone has to do it, and it might as well be us! Just the other day he raised the issue of empire building - the situation where managers become more concerned about their status and power than they are with results - consequently they add staff (full-time, part-time, casual, contract etc - it doesn't matter) rather than examining work practices and capabilities then considering these in light of the results to be achieved. Very often the impact of such actions is demotivation of good staff, under employment of many, reduced productivity (it takes more resources to achieve the same output), but increased remuneration for the manager because of the 'increase in responsibility'. As he says, he's seen it too often and, despite the rhetoric of organisations operating efficiently, it is one of the most common sources of frustration at the lower levels of organisations.<br /><br />In part our discussion arose because of the recent statement by the NSW (Australia) Treasurer that, while currently embarking upon a reduction of 5,000 people from the NSW Public Service, a cut of another 10,000 is to be made in the next financial year. We've both seen it all before! Time and again politicians announce cuts to the Public Service, implement those cuts, demoralise and politicise the remaining workforce, then, when they are eventually ejected from power, leave behind a public service that is larger and, often, less efficient than the one with which they started. In the interim they've lost many really good people and much of the corporate knowledge that is really essential to avoid repeating past mistakes.<br /><br />Empire building and empire demolition both tend to be indicators of PPM - Piss Poor Management. Both adding more staff and reducing staff levels are very often "easy way outs" for complex problems that managers don't want to confront. Rather than dealing with productivity issues, PPM will add staff even though there is current capability available. Similarly, rather than appropriately deal with serious systems problems its easier to make staff cuts then complain about the amount of leave accumulated by the reduced workforce that remains.<br /><br />Lets consider a few issues in NSW. Removing graffiti costs the NSW rail service some $60 million a year. Road trauma in NSW costs $billions a year. Crimes such as breaking and entering, theft, burglary, malicious damage, etc cost individuals and insurers millions of dollars each year. The authorities admit that very few of these crimes are fully investigated or offenders arrested and charged because the resources available to Police and the like are inadequate.<br /><br />There's an old saying that "prevention is better than cure" and another that advocates putting a fence at the top of a cliff rather than maintaining an ambulance at the cliff's foot. If NSW needs to save large amounts of money - and I fully accept that this is the case - then investing money in actions to prevent graffiti, to improve road safety (and speed cameras will never do this but improved roads, increased and obvious police presence, and better driving training will) and to prevent crime at all levels has the potential to save far more money than may be available from simply cutting public service numbers or reducing expenditure in areas such as education, social welfare services, etc. Unfortunately no politician of any flavour seems to understand this.<br /><br />PPM indicates a lack of leadership. Beware both those who build empires to bolster their own egos and those who slash and burn staffing levels for short term expediency and to gain political points.<br /><br />What do you think? Please post your comments below.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-23545151365223413502012-05-16T13:38:00.006+10:002012-05-16T14:10:40.762+10:00Poor Customer Service Reflects PPMDon't you just love Apple stores. As you walk past you see all these exciting pieces of electronic equipment and the place is staffed by such happy, helpful people. There's an immediate reaction: "I like the look of this place and I've just got to go in." Now that's pretty good as far as it goes.<br /><br />But what if you've got a small problem - like your IPhone's playing up? Just supposing you're close to an Apple store when this happens. You walk in and its one of those times when there's a lot more staff than customers. Staff are standing around chatting to each other but a receptionist quickly comes to attend to you. You explain the problem - and suddenly the famed Apple service disappears. "I'm sorry," you are told, "we're too busy to help you with this right now. You have to go on line and make an appointment." You look around. Staff are still chatting to each other - clearly not busy either with technology or customers: "Oh,", you say, "what about someone from over there? Can they have a quick look at it?" "No," comes the reply, "you will have to go on line and make an appointment."<br /><br />Suddenly having anything other than Apple equipment seems to be a good option!<br /><br />Now, as you might suspect, this isn't just a hypothetical example. It happened this morning at an Apple store in Sydney.<br /><br />I can understand making an appointment when a store is packed with customers. I can understand that whatever is wrong with the phone might require a technician to examine it. I can understand that the problem may take a little time to be fixed and that there might be no phone for a short time.<br /><br />What I can't understand is why, in a store that is obviously not busy, no-one can even make a brief examination of the phone and perhaps be able to help solve a reception issue. Somewhere in Apple is a manager - perhaps more than one - who is more concerned with process than with customers. And that's PPM - piss poor management.<br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-75682420393238725482012-05-09T16:35:00.008+10:002012-05-10T14:48:37.694+10:00"nato" LeadersSome years ago I was speaking at a conference in Finland. In the discussion period that followed one member of the audience said "You have described problems with leadership very accurately. These problems are most often seen in nato (<span style="font-weight: bold;">N</span>o <span style="font-weight: bold;">A</span>ction <span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span>alk <span style="font-weight: bold;">O</span>nly) leaders. These are the people who are quick to criticise, happy to utter platitudes, very full of themselves, but utterly useless when it comes to getting something done." Looking around it seems to me that this pseudo nato group is very much alive and well.<br /><br />I thought of that when I was speaking with a political leader recently. Despite his party being elected with a very strong majority, virtually everything has been referred to a committee and the response to questioners is along the lines of "we're looking into it". Not only does this person appear to be a nato leader but it looks like its a "nato" leader meets Through the Looking Glass" scenario.<br /><br />Now I have no opinion as to the leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (the "real" NATO) because, in part, living in the antipodes means that we are outside its influence. But I do have an opinion of the No Action Talk Only group (the pseudo nato) who purport to be leaders. My opinion is not positive and it extends to virtually all political leaders (no matter what their flavour); to those who conduct and/or focus on weekly (or other far-too-frequent) political opinion polls; to radio "shock jocks"; and to many of the analysts who prognosticate on what profits should be expected from public companies and who. by so doing, encourage a focus on short term results rather than long term issues.<br /><br />Frankly I'm tired of low-profile, emphasise-the-negative politics designed to get some person or party into positions of power - and this politicking occurs just as much in large organisations as it does in the overtly political arena. Its not real leadership and its not real management - it is evidence that the scourge of PPM (Piss Poor Management) permeates to even the highest positions around.<br /><br />Why do we have so much bullying, violence, and significant degrees of anti social behaviour? I suggest because all-too-often it is modeled by our political "leaders", by radio "shock jocks", by one-eyed opinion pieces in newspapers, and the like. The people responsible seem to think that only their opinion or cause is "right" or "just" and they seem to feel free to demean and attack those with different views or opinions. This isn't leadership - its bullying and should be labelled as such. We cannot seek to confront bullying in the school ground, in the work place, on the web, or anywhere else until we have confronted it in our "leaders".<br /><br />We need leaders of substance. These leaders are those who have robust discussions and debates without total negativity, ego trips, or demeaning others. These leaders will acknowledge both their own weaknesses and the strengths of others. These leaders will seek the best for all followers even when this comes from others. These leaders will seek to act in a way that is best for all rather than just for themselves or their ideology. These leaders will inspire us with a vision and they will set out this vision in a way that makes us all want to work together in order to make it a reality. Where these leaders see something they believe is wrong, they will develop and offer positive alternatives and they will show how these alternatives can be implemented. When given the opportunity, they will act to bring about the better future about which they have been talking. These leaders are truly authentic and are people worth following.<br /><br />Let's get rid of "nato" leaders. Lets get rid of bullying.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-4420335793985290982012-05-02T12:25:00.005+10:002012-05-02T13:40:32.186+10:00Keeping good staffI was chatting with a few people at a Business Breakfast this morning when one of them, a senior executive of a good sized company (300+ employees) commented that they had a difficulty retaining their best apprentices after they qualified. It seems as though too many of the one's they want to keep go on to other employers within about a year of qualifying.<br /><br />Lets consider a "for instance":<br /><br />"Harry" (not his real name) finished his apprenticeship in June 2011. he was immediately nominated for advanced training and, over the last 10 months, has completed 25 additional courses that enhance his knowledge and employability. All these courses have been paid for by his employer. Harry absolutely loves his work and is nominated by his manager as the best technician in the company. As a result he gets most of the challenging work and he has a record of completing jobs on time, within budget, and to a very high quality standard.<br /><br />But Harry's boss fits the PPM (Piss Poor Management) profile. Harry answers to a foreman, who answers to a controller, who answers to a manager, who answers to a general manager. Until recently the controller was the foreman and the constant complaints by Harry and the other techs related to their foreman allowing apprentices to follow questionable work practices and of taking short cuts in repair work rather than doing a job properly the first time. Eventually their frustration forced the manager to act - so he promoted the foreman! To the relief of Harry and the other techs, one of their peers - a person they respected and trusted - was then appointed foreman. Now, everyone hoped, things would improve. They haven't. No matter how much the new foreman tries to have things done the way they should be, he is stymied by the controller and the manager.<br /><br />The General Manager and, above him, the Group CEO, should be aware of this issue. But, if they are aware, they're doing nothing. They see the company reaping the benefits from the quality and quantity of work done by Harry and his fellow techs - but they ignore immoral (and sometimes illegal) behaviour of the manager and controller. They are oblivious to the frustration felt and expressed by the foreman, Harry, and the other techs. The result? Harry, the foreman, all the other qualified techs, and the top 3 apprentices are all seeking other jobs.<br /><br />Now I don't know the situation in the company represented by the person I was talking with this morning - we haven't got to any detailed chatting yet - but I do know that poor leadership is one of the key factors in organisations losing good staff - especially younger people. Good people don't work for bad bosses.<br /><br />In a recent article (http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/6-Signs-That-You-Might-Be-A-Leader.html) I set out the characteristics of leaders who retain staff and who run high performing units and/or organisations:<br /><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal">they engage with others as individuals rather than seeking to obtain obedience or compliance</li><li class="MsoNormal">they are collaborative and facilitative</li><li class="MsoNormal">they encourage growth <a href="http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/Problems-of-Growth.html"></a>and self directed learning by everyone</li><li class="MsoNormal">they respect <a href="http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/Third-Generation-Leadership-resolves-problems.html"></a>other people even if they are not receiving respect <a href="http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/Third-Generation-Leadership-resolves-problems.html"></a>in return</li><li class="MsoNormal">they invite questions and genuine discussion</li><li class="MsoNormal">they ask questions with a view to helping others find their own solutions</li><li class="MsoNormal">they listen to help others engage with their own or shared solutions</li><li class="MsoNormal">they are totally non discriminatory in thought, word and action</li></ul> Because of these characteristics, they are able to create environments in which people feel: <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal">emotionally safe</li><li class="MsoNormal">unconditionally respected</li><li class="MsoNormal">believed in as individuals</li><li class="MsoNormal">listened to</li></ul><p>Harry and his colleagues are leaving because because their organisation doesn't have a culture that encourages high performance by everyone. They've had their fill of PPM.</p><p>If you want to retain your best people, start by getting rid of PPM and develop the right culture.</p><p>Do you agree? Please make your comments below.</p><p>More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br /></p>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-54508558227563958372012-04-23T12:10:00.008+10:002012-04-23T12:57:07.670+10:00PPM and customer serviceLast week I had an interesting interaction with Virgin Australia. I wanted to make significant changes to a booking and I understood that there would be a fee involved. To check on the process I phoned Virgin and received clear instructions on how it could be done on line and what the fee would be. I then went on line to make the changes but, no matter what I tried, something wouldn't work. I again phoned Virgin, spoke to a different person, and was then told that the changes could only be made over the phone and that, because I was doing it by phone, there would be further charges! Even though Virgin Australia's policies may have no such intention, the person with whom I spoke left me with the impression that some form of price gouging may be involved. When I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager I was told that this wasn't possible and that, even if I did speak with one, I would be given the same message!! So much for Virgin Australia Service!<br /><br />Two phone calls. Two different "service" people. Two totally different messages. I find it very easy to forget the first, helpful person and very easy to remember the second, very unhelpful and uncooperative person. Unfortunately for Virgin, as is usually the case in customer service interactions, it is the negative experience which tends to dominate.<br /><br />I have written quite a few blogs on customer service (they're all available below). It is a sad fact that today, with organisations' emphasis on short term to medium term results and the use of outsourced and casual staff, cultures of relatively short term expediency seem to be replacing service and commitment. As I have said before about PPM (Piss Poor Management), it starts at the top by actions of commission and/or omission. In the case of my recent experience with Virgin Australia I suspect the "omission" aspect applies as contradictory messages (both direct and implied) were given.<br /><br />Today's business environment is increasingly competitive and customers are increasingly price conscious. Things like air travel that once were "special" are now a commodity. Those supplying commodities need to offer something special to set themselves apart and to encourage customer/client loyalty - and "loyalty programs" don't fit this bill. Good management and good leadership recognises this and works constantly to ensure this "something special" is always on show and applied.<br /><br />"We the people" are happy to respond positively when we feel that service providers really are providing service. Don't we?<br /><br />What do you think? Please make your comments below.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-74207407700588249042012-04-16T09:21:00.010+10:002012-04-16T11:24:37.890+10:00Is that all there is?Last week the Reserve Bank of Australia decided that there would be no change in the official interest rates but on Friday one of Australia's "Big Four", very profitable commercial banks decided that it would raise its interest rates anyway - they would hate to see any reduction in their "bottom line" because that could impact not only their international credit rating but, dare one say it, also possibly the remuneration of its senior executives. I suspect other banks will raise their rates this week!<br /><br />Also during last week there were reports of a rise in the number of bankruptcies in parts of Sydney as well as reports of an increase in the number of mortgage holders who have negative equity in their homes - and many of these are in the more prestigious areas.<br /><br />The fact is that, in Australia, the gulf between the rich and the poor is getting wider. We are developing at least two classes in society and, as attested by a wide range of social service organisations, many people are experiencing frustration, anger, and helplessness as they try to even survive in what is often an uncaring and vicious economic environment.<br /><br />Back in 1969, Peggy Lee asked the question "Is That All There Is?" in a song which questioned what we call "success" and whether there was more to life than just the here and now. Recently we celebrated Easter - a time on the Christian calendar that asks much the same question.<br /><br />We seem to be inexorably caught up in the myth that success is all about power, what you have and your place on the social status ladder. We perpetuate the myth that we live in an economy rather than a society. And we wonder why illegal activity seems rampant; why gambling, substance abuse (including alcohol and nicotine), relationship breakdown and all the other indicators of problems in society show no sign of reducing. We wonder why helplessness so often drifts to hopelessness, to depression, to despair and worse.<br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:usefelayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">Many years ago, a concentration camp survivor, Victor Frankl</span><span lang="EN-AU">, explained the way in which he and others in concentration camps dealt with the question of what life was really all about. Was life just a brief spasm with no ultimate purpose? Was life really worth living? Victor Frankl, having worked through these issues while an inmate of a concentration camp, concluded that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living. He concluded that life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">As I work with individuals and organisations to help them unlock their potential I find that one critical thing is simply showing that I care - I care about what happens to each person and I care about what happens to each organisation. I show that I care by the questions I ask and by the way in which I listen. I can't solve their problems - either personal or organisational - but by moving things away from "simply an economy" to a "sense of society" it becomes possible for resolutions to be found and for a new future to emerge.</p><p class="MsoNormal">People and organisations in Australia today are hurting. Some of the hurt is self-inflicted because of past choices, other of the hurt is inflicted by uncaring philosophies, systems and myths. Where there is hurt there is also a need for care. There is meaning in life.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">How do you show others that you care? Do you continue caring even when what you offer appears to be rejected?<br /><span lang="EN-AU"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">You can make your comments below. I'd love to read them.<br /></span></p> More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-18386459400960929582012-04-02T10:40:00.004+10:002012-04-02T11:17:21.820+10:00PPM Starts at the Top2012 marks my 50th year in some form of leadership position - school, military, voluntary organisations, business, etc. In that time I've worked for a lot of managers, followed quite a few leaders, and have experienced my own mistakes and successes as a leader. Hopefully I've learned something from them all.<br /><br />One thing I know I've learned stands out from all the rest. That is: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />PPM (Piss Poor Management) starts at the top.</span><br /><br />Managers down the line reflect the management that they see as being successful for those at more senior positions. In other words, if a junior level manager sees that senior level managers get promotions and salary increases through bullying or a failure to confront issues or any other behaviour, there is a high probability that this will be reflected in that junior manager's behaviour. (Fortunately the same is also true for good management practices.)<br /><br />In other words, managers at the top of an organisation set the culture - the behavioural norms - that operate within any organisation.<br /><br />When I did my PhD research (many years ago now!) it became clear that people join an organisation because they believe that their personal values and those of the organisation are compatible. Most employee separations in the first year occur because either the employee or the employer realise that a mistake was made. For those that survive the first year, the values have either proved to be reasonably compatible or the employee has made changes to fit in with the organisation. By the time a person has been with an organisation for about 5 years there is no significantly discernible distinction between the two sets of values. In other words, whether it is a culture of good management / leadership practices or one of bad management / leadership practices, the employee has adopted the culture of the organisation.<br /><br />Scary!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question:</span> As a leader, what sort of practices do you model to others? If you practice PPM, don't expect your followers to be any different.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nobody has to be a PPM. Any failure to change is a matter of choice.</span><br /><br />I've some more about this at http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/4-Signs-of-a-Successful-Leader.html and at http://dglong.com/become_a_more_successful_leader.htm<br /><br />I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Please make your comments below.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-14712515198556180142012-03-28T11:22:00.009+11:002012-03-28T11:45:52.024+11:00More signs of PPMBullying is only one sign of PPM (Piss Poor Management)! There are many others.<br /><br />Here are some examples provided to me in the past two weeks:<br /><ul><li>A manager who employs people on the basis of the lowest remuneration possible rather than on ability to do the job required</li><li>A manager who refuses to confront poor performance and low quality work because he feels it is important to be "liked" by his staff</li><li>A company where senior executives seldom visit any of the 9 sites away from Head Office and ignore immoral and possibly illegal activity by the managers in those sites - the result is apprentices not paid for overtime work and the emergence of unsafe work practices</li><li>A company where there is a high turnover of qualified staff because they are unhappy about the high volume, low quality work practices encouraged by managers</li></ul><p>My point is that PPM can have many faces.</p><p>Good managers ensure that everyone clearly understands performance criteria in both qualitative and quantitative terms. They also ensure that those performance standards are high enough to stretch people yet low enough to be attainable. These performance standards are then broken down into easy-to-understand results areas and performance indicators that are properly monitored. Where criteria are being met, recognition is given and where criteria are not being met, clear action is taken to get things back on track - performance standards are not allowed to slide. Good executives ensure there is appropriate oversight and governance in all areas for which they are responsible.</p><p>Its not "rocket science" - supervisory and management programs have been teaching this for at least 50 years and good managers have practiced it since time immemorial.</p><p>We need to address and eliminate PPM!</p><p>What are your experiences with PPM? I'd love to know. Please write your comments below.</p><p>More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br /></p>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-41737559749996029322012-03-17T11:36:00.013+11:002012-03-17T12:57:04.836+11:00Bullying - a clear indicator of PPMThe Macquarie Dictionary defines a bully as "someone who hurts, frightens, or orders about smaller or weaker people". It goes on to suggests synonyms that include "bulldoze, coerce, intimidate, threaten, tyrannise".<br /><br />Leaders and good managers understand that bullying is oxymoronic. <span style="font-weight: bold;">A leader and/or a good manager cannot be a bully and a bully cannot be a leader and/or a good manager</span>. We need to remember this because every time we see a so-called leader indulging in coercion, intimidation. making threats etc that person has immediately forfeited his or her right to be called a leader. They may be in command or in charge, they may be #1 in their hierarchy or organisation or on the airwaves (all of which are perfectly legitimate roles) - but they are not a leader and they are not a "good manager".<br /><br />Over recent blogs I have explored the issue of PPM (Piss Poor Management) and common to every example I have provided - and common to every example provided to me by other people - is the fact of one person using their position, title, money, power, physique, or some other part of their persona to coerce, intimidate, or threaten others. The result is that the other person felt a degree of insecurity, apprehension or fear in relation to their physical, emotional, psychological, or employment security. In other words, the person with the power has created an environment in which increased productivity, creativity, commitment, and motivation are highly unlikely to continue. People have been set up for failure rather than for success.<br /><br />In my last blog I suggested the media should consider a "bullying index" that they put alongside all reports relating to politicians, captains of industry, talkback radio hosts, union officials, etc - in other words against every person seeking to exercise power and authority in every area of the community. The media often advocates naming and shaming for various other matters - why not for bullying?<br /><br />If we're serious about eradicating bullying among young people then we've got to stop it in their role models!<br /><br />Whoever you are; whatever your position in society; no matter what your wealth, status or anything else, you are a role model to someone. What sort of role model do you provide?<br /><br />You don't have to be a bully! You can choose to be a leader.<br /><br />What do you think? I'd love to know - please make your comments below.<br /><br />More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.comDouglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-8767317803943833002012-03-16T14:11:00.005+11:002012-03-16T14:43:28.854+11:00The Bullying CurseAt least in Australia (and probably elsewhere), today has been designated as one devoted to awareness of bullying. On the news this morning, there was a lot of attention paid to the issue of both physical and cyber bullying in schools and among youth in general. This is a good thing.<br /><br />But I wonder if it doesn't miss the point.<br /><br />Children absorb lessons from role models - that is the message clearly and consistently given by educators, psychologists, and everyone else concerned about society. If this is so (and I believe it is) then surely the place to start in combating bullying is with the role models.<br /><br />When I read a newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch TV I am constantly aware of bullying by those with power and authority. Some examples:<br /><ul><li>Politicians bullying others through sarcasm, denigration, and outright abuse that is supported by constantly seeking to portray their opponents in a negative light</li><li>Mining magnates bullying the country by lobbying and threatened legal action against any attempts to more equally distribute the mining wealth</li><li>Australia's richest person threatening her children with bankruptcy and enlisting the support of prominent politicians in order to maintain control of huge trust funds then using the legal process to try and ensure the Australian public is kept ignorant of what is going on</li><li>Business leaders using the threat of moving jobs off-shore unless employees agree to reductions in working conditions and lower remuneration increases while their own salaries and their organisation's profits soar</li><li>Union leaders threatening industrial action quite early in negotiations unless they get what they demand for their members</li><li>Radio hosts and journalists who push their own agendas then ridicule or denigrate those who seek to challenge what is presented<br /></li></ul><p>I suggest that its no wonder we find bullying in schools when the rich and powerful in society are so blatant in their own bullying while decrying that which occurs amongst children and young people.</p><p>Bullying is bullying is bullying - no matter who does it, where they do it, or the guise under which they do it.</p><p>When I was a child my parents taught me that bullying always indicated insecurity and feelings of inadequacy in a person. "Be sorry for the bully," I was told, "they're the person with problems. They are so obsessed with themselves that, no matter what their pretence, they have no real interest in others - or in the truth."<br /></p><p>Its not easy to ignore the bullies. Like most other empty vessels, they make the most noise. But we need to be very careful about encouraging them.<br /></p><p>Perhaps all forms of media should have a bullying scale that they present alongside all reports that show words and/or actions of those who purport to be role models. A type of "name and shame" to combat bullying everywhere.</p><p>What do you think? Please post your comments below.</p><p>More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br /></p>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-49083634109451978292012-03-14T12:06:00.006+11:002012-03-14T12:45:22.972+11:00Still more about PPM!The examples of PPM (Piss Poor Management) continue to come in - and some demonstrate either conscious or unconscious illegal and/or immoral behaviour.<br /><ul><li>A Sydney prestige car dealership that refuses to pay an apprentice mechanic (automotive technician) for overtime worked - and threatens disciplinary action if the apprentice complains outside the company. Then, after a complaint is made and a warning is given, still persists with the same illegal behaviour!<br /></li><li>A private sector social service organisation that is found to have underpaid an employee then, when the employee persists with the claim, corrects this situation but also introduces a new policy designed to prohibit other employees from making similar claims</li><li>A sales and service organisation where top management confuses employee professionalism with employee commitment - management expects staff to work long hours at low pay - then wonders why they have a high staff turnover when "there's just so much work for everyone" </li><li>A restaurant where, on an evening when they are seriously short staffed, the manager refuses to assist staff in end-of-night cleaning - instead relaxing with an after-work drink and giving instructions</li></ul><p>Seems like I've opened a hornets' nest with this subject!</p><p>In Australia we have legislation that ought to minimise the incidence of PPM - Occupational Health and Safety laws, Fair Work Australia laws, and the like - yet I hear of new examples every day.</p><p>There is something seriously wrong with workplaces and with society in general when PPM is so prevalent and so seldom challenged. I know that Maggie Thatcher, one time Prime Minister of the UK, famously said that "we live in an economy, not a society" (or words to that effect) but PPM doesn't even make real economic sense. There is plenty of hard evidence that all organisations achieve higher productivity with highly competent, fully committed employees who are engaged with their work, with each other, and with their organisation. And there is plenty of evidence also to show that higher productivity produces better results.</p><p>We shouldn't have to put up with PPM and we don't have to put up with PPM! Some clues about this are at http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/9-Steps-to-Improve-Performance.html and http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/7-Steps-To-Realising-Your-Potential.html</p><p>Share your stories about PPM with the rest of us. Make your comments below.</p><p>More information about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br /></p>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7359490306268627954.post-13263513869835705612012-03-02T11:34:00.015+11:002012-03-05T14:49:41.033+11:00The PPM issue!Last week I wrote about my daughter's experience with PPM (Piss Poor Management) and I have now received numerous accounts from others about their experiences. These anecdotes include:<br /><ul><li>A manager who refused to employ people who knew more than he did, or to promote people who challenged him<br /></li><li>A manager in a children's day care centre who, when asked for some guidance on doing a new task, ridiculed the a staff member involved in front of parent clients</li><li>A manager in a major not-for-profit organisation who delayed investigation into an issue relating to remuneration because "your complaint makes me look bad!"</li><li>A manager who was so concerned about her boss that, every time her boss was seen talking with a staff member, would find an excuse to get involved so as to ensure that she knew everything that was being said</li></ul><p>What these illustrate is that PPM is not confined to the retail sector - it is alive and flourishing across the board.<br /></p><p>Management education and training (whether from educational institutions or private training organisations) has been teaching good management practices for at least 40 years. Virtually everyone currently practicing PPM has almost certainly been exposed to good management practices in some way or another, yet PPM prevails. Why?</p><p>PPM in organisations is characterised by creating a situation in which employees feel their jobs are under threat - reach the performance targets set or be sacked/demoted/moved etc. - and such sanctions, in turn, could threaten my financial security and/or perceived social status. This threat of dismissal or other sanctions may be real or imagined. Its symptoms are people in supervisory/ management roles who refuse to question "the boss" or who will support "the boss" even when this means disillusionment and possible loss of good staff. My self interests and general concern for "me" takes precedence over everything else. These people can be described in the old saying: "they're not 'yes-men': they say 'no' when the boss does!"<br /></p><p>I suspect that, deep down, PPM is caused by basic insecurity or fear.</p><p>Fear is one of the most basic and powerful factors in all animal life. It is multifaceted and encompasses physical and psychological/emotional aspects of life. It drives us to aggression, to frozen inaction, and to escapism through such avenues as physical removal from a situation, through to such behaviours as abuse of alcohol and drugs. It underlies all bullying and much of the antisocial behaviour we encounter. It underpinned the "cold war" - the West refused to accept that the East may not want world dominance (and vice versa); it underpinned the fiasco around the USA's invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq; and it underpins the current preoccupation with what Iran may or may not be doing in its (currently) totally legitimate enrichment of uranium. Fear is used by politicians and managers to drive people towards a solution that meets the ego needs of the powerful regardless of what is really good for the company or country or whatever.<br /></p><p>I believe that, despite the best efforts and intentions of those propounding good management practices, PPM will continue to be prominent until we learn how to shift our brain's locus of control away from the "fear centre" and into the "courage centre". As I have said in earlier blogs, its the issue of "red zone" versus "blue zone" in terms of the way in which our brains work - but it starts in myself, the individual, rather than in someone else. (There are some pointers in how to make this shift at http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/5178/7-Steps-To-Realising-Your-Potential.html)<br /></p><p>The thing to remember is that, ultimately, no-one <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">has</span></span> to put up with PPM in any organisation. We may not be able to change the situation; we may not be able to change how others behave; but we can change our response. We can walk away - but, ideally, find your next job first!</p><p>What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.</p><p>More about Doug Long at http://www.dglong.com<br /></p>Douglas Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02257810266712169838noreply@blogger.com2