Being a Leader Takes More than a Notion
by Pamelagrace Beatty
“Leaders are born, not made…” That may be at least partially true. It’s what some have said. But Leadership takes skill. Leadership involves more than just having a vision for the future. It takes more than being the owner of the company or the designated leader. To some degree it can be taught. To some degree, the ability can be learned through experience. And yes, some people are just born to lead. Think of that bossy little kid who grows up to establish and run her own company!
Many books have been written about leaders: how to be one, what leadership is, what makes a leader effective. One well-known writer about leadership, Ken Blanchard, has declared that there are different situations that call for different leadership styles. I agree with his situational leadership philosophy. In his experience, there aren’t any clear, guaranteed, behavioral aspects or predicable beliefs that make a leader good anytime and everywhere. Blanchard matches situations with the level of preparedness and experience of the people involved. Which style of leadership to use is dependent on these aspects and more.
What is helpful about looking at leadership behavior as situational is that it allows for more flexibility. It undoes the old saying, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail (Abraham Maslow).” If the leader has only one way of doing things, then whatever doesn’t fit is thrown out. For example, I have met many leaders who worked 24/7. They were dedicated and determined. They had a strong vision of where they wanted their organization to be in the future. Some of these leaders, however, expected their staff to have the same dedication to achieving that vision. The leader expected the staff to work as long and as hard as they did. If they didn’t, then the leader saw them as not dedicated to the company’s or organization’s goals, and therefore not good employees.
Sometimes, the difference between the leader with the vision for the organization and the people hired to do various work to achieve that vision is vast. Often, for the employees, a job was just a way to pay the rent and feed the family. There were other things that were important to employees like family, friends, hobbies, self-development, fun and so on. Employees did not go to sleep and wake up thinking about the company’s goals.
Yet, some leaders still get their employees to support them with all their hearts even though they have lives outside of the job. The successful leadership trait I personally observed to be effective was employee development. Those leaders who fanned the potential in their employees, or staff, or even volunteers were the ones who made the most impact and achieved goals beyond what they imagined. This however, did take skill.
One leader I admired a lot was the manager of a manufacturing plant back east. He was brought in to “fix” one of the worst, or most difficult plants in the organization. The employees in the plant were considered to be bad actors with lots of negative attitude. There was a strong union presence there and the union frequently fought with management. The plant production was below expectations. The prior plant manager had been successful in the past, but for some reason was no longer.
Enter the new plant manager with the challenge to “fix this or close it down.” He fixed it. He did use certain skills. He set clear expectations with consequences if they weren’t met, and he stuck to them. He didn’t let things slide. He also gave positive feedback when the employees did what was expected, and more positive feedback when they exceeded expectations. The plant not only met its goals after a while, but it also exceeded them! The plant employees began to take pride in their work. They even found ways to improve the product they produced. After a while, it got back to the product developers in the research center that the people in this plant had messed with the formula for the product and they were furious! How dare those workers who didn’t know anything about science, or engineering in particular, change their product!!! Well, the scientists and engineers at the research center who developed the process did this in a laboratory. The staff at the plant took the procedure and increased it 100 times. Somewhere between the increase and the equipment they used to make the product, something went wrong. They weren’t getting the right end product. The plant manager allowed them to experiment to find the right approach. They found it. And they were able to do so because the leader of the plant gave them the opportunity to be more than just automatons, following directions blindly.
This plant manager believed in the potential of people. He believed his employees could do far more than what was expected of them. He didn’t buy into class, education, culture or gender stereotypes. He was willing to let the employees fly as high as they wanted in their work. And he was strategic. He noticed who showed aptitude and/or interest and he gave them opportunities that allowed them to succeed, versus making them do something they would probably fail at. The plant thrived and so did the company it belonged to.
So, the plant manager got a promotion to a bigger plant. It was considered the worst plant in the organization. The union was difficult, the employees were difficult and once again, production didn’t meet expectations. This time his instructions were to “fix” it quickly or shut it down. The fix wasn’t working fast enough and so it was to be closed. Well, that happens. Sometimes a situation can’t be saved and you have to move on. But…this plant manager was good at turning situations around. He was good at bringing out the best in people and he was not being allowed enough time to do that.
He argued with headquarters about closing the plant. He passionately advocated for giving the employees more time to come around. His constant battle to keep the plant open annoyed the powers-that-be. They stuck to their decision to close the plant. This was like a body blow to the man whose joy was to help people see their worth and achieve beyond their imaginations. That didn’t gibe with being the one to fire a hundred and fifty people. He didn’t sleep well for a long time.
Once he accepted that he would have to obey corporate orders and close the plant, he decided the one thing he could do for the people was prepare them to find other jobs. Many had worked for that plant much of their lives. Most had not had to look for a job in years! Almost all had no idea how to even start, or how to write a resume or how to interview. He decided to provide mandatory attendance to communication and job finding workshops. Then he called me.
Having worked with the plant manager in the past and seen what he could do, I was happy to work with him. I admired his work, his way of handling the people who worked for him and his belief in the potential in people. We collaborated on what to present and when. I put together a team to help deliver the training because we had very little time before the closing. The plant manager, to my amazement, was totally honest with the workers about what was happening. Usually, plant closings were kept under wraps until the last minute. Headquarters had told the plant manager they wanted the plant producing the expected amount right up until the close. How was he supposed to keep these “difficult” employees producing, when they knew the party would soon be over? Partly, he paid for time they spent in training. Partly, the honesty of the manager helped. And partly, the good work he had done with building trust and respect with the workers also helped.
There were three of us who did the training, day and night, seven days a week. We flew in one at a time, trained for a week and went home. We did this until everyone had the workshops they needed to find a new job. Yes, there was pushback and attitude. But most of the employees took advantage of the training and continued to do their best to meet daily production goals. We made the deadline and they kept production up to the very end.
Once the plant was closed, the plant manager went on to other companies and eventually developed a successful company of his own where he uses all the skills in businessmen. Organizational turnaround and supply change management. He remains one of the most memorable leaders I know, and it was a pleasure to work with him. I felt compelled to share his story, even though his name is not included. I believe somewhere, somehow, this story will make a difference to someone and perhaps give them some ideas on how to handle any situations they find themselves working with.
