Cultivating Leadership
by: Jim Clemmer
Over the last two decades I have consulted to, provided workshops for, and delivered keynote presentations on leadership to a variety of restaurant chains and individual restaurant managers. I continue to be surprised by the general confusion between management and leadership. Managers push, leaders pull. Managers try to light a fire under people, leaders stoke the fire within. Managers command, leaders inspire. Managers use position power, leaders use persuasion power. Managers control, leaders foster commitment.
For some reason the contrast between extreme management and leadership seems to be especially sharp in the restaurant business. Management tends to be at the extremes edges in this industry. It often involves fear and intimidation. How can fearful and angry serving staff turnaround and provide great service? Research clearly shows that they don't. As Don Cherry might say, it's not "rocket surgery." Unhappy and poorly served staff passes how they are treated to their customers. In today's workplace, a management style of pushing people around often pushes the highest performers right out the door.
Maybe it's just because I was raised on a farm, but whenever I hear managers use the term "head count" (and I hear it a lot), it grates on me like fingernails scratching a blackboard. When managers say things like "we've got to reduce our head count" I immediately think of cattle. In the community where I grew up, farmers would ask each other questions like "how many head are you milking?" when talking about cows in a dairy herd. People were never referred to this way.
Despite all their pious declarations about the importance of people, leadership, and values, far too many managers treat people in their operations with about as much care as they would attach to fixtures, equipment, or dιcor. They are just one more set of assets to be managed. These just happen to be breathing and have skin wrapped around them. Managers who view "their people" as property are cold and dispassionate. In fact, they would make perfect donors for heart transplants their hearts have had such little use!
Management
Commanding
Solving problems
Directing and controlling
Seeing people as they are
Empowering
Operating
Pushing
Heroic manager
Quick fix to symptons
Leadership
Coaching
Enabling others to solve problems
Teaching and engaging
Developing people into what they can be
Partnering
Improving
Pulling
Facilitative leader
Search for systemic root causes
Growing Spaces
I enjoy perennial gardening in our yard. As I have tended our gardens over the years, I am continually struck by how some plants will do well in some locations and terribly elsewhere in the garden. Each spring and fall I move plants around to match their preferences for particular soil, wind, and sun conditions, as well as their proximity to other plants. At times I have been pleasantly surprised by how some lackluster plants have suddenly thrived in a new location better suited to their needs. Since each perennial has a different bloom time and length, one of the gardening challenges is to keep color spread throughout the garden from early spring to late fall. It's one reason I never "cheat" by using annuals that bloom all summer long. A constant chore is cutting off old blooms to encourage new ones and pruning plants that are becoming overgrown.
Managers often use a "one size fits all" approach and try to "mass grow" people. Leaders work with people to discover where they are best able to thrive and succeed. Like a good gardener, leaders treat each person in their organization as an individual with his or her own unique aspirations, strengths, and characteristics. Leaders then work to put people in the best place for them to thrive and succeed. They mix and match team members to build a well-rounded team that can show its best colors according to the season or is best suited to the current operating conditions of the organization or the team. Leaders tend to each person on their team and coach them to change habits or prune overgrown methods that may prevent further growth. They are consistently moving team members around to avoid overcrowding and to bring out the best in each person.
About The Author:
Jim Clemmer
Excerpted from Jim's bestseller, The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. View the book's unique format and content, Introduction and Chapter One, and feedback at www.theleadersdigest.com. This book is a companion book to Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success. Jim Clemmer is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. His web site is www.clemmer.net/articles.
March 2006
Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of BIZBUD.com and/or its partners.
Unless otherwise stated, the contents of this site are
Copyright © 2006 BIZBUD.com - All rights reserved.
Articles are copyright materials of their respective authors.
|
