Management and Leadership

One of my essays is about management which naturally has led me to thinking a lot about managing people at work. In some respects having my new job means I feel that I have to "raise my game" as far as dealing with people- but what does that mean in practice? One of my favourite Simpson episodes is when Homer gets head hunted by Globex Corp. and he works for Mr Scorpio getting his nuclear reactor online. In it, Homer discovers his talent for managing and motivating his staff "with doughnuts... and the possibility of more doughnuts!" and with business hammocks. Maybe Homer lands on his feet with highly motivated staff or maybe he really did hit upon something because he succeeds like he never has before.

Joolian has also been thinking about leadership in his blog. It's an important but under appreciated thing. This is an individualistic world that we live in: we don't want to think that anyone is in charge or has any right to tell us what to do. For this and many other reasons (like not wanting to accept the buck), the concept of leadership as a desirable quality, fell out of fashion. Which is why I think it's so hard to pinpoint people who display leadership qualities. The process of learning by example isn't to be had as people try to bumble their way through leading others.

Also the climate surrounding the people to be led is one of mistrust and cynicism. Be strong and you will be consider aggressive, be friendly and you will be considered weak. We have no conscious desire to be led, we have no conscious desire to lead ourselves, we have no conscious desire to support anyone who might take on the role. With no role model to base the leadership role on, leaders and managers try their best based on intuition, guesswork or the latest management manual.

I had a thought the other day: "What if my staff don't like me?!" I don't know what the answer is and in some respects I suppose it doesn't matter when leading people but I do want to discover what a manager is. What it is and what they do.

Even before today's sermon, I remembered what it is that sets Christians apart. It's seeing everyone as unique. And I know what I have to do now, not just to members of staff but everyone: I need to discover what it is about them that's so special and convince themselves of it.

I can now say that I don't care about whether I'm "good at my job" or "working to a higher grade". I care that I empower people that I come into contact with to be the best that they can, whether they are youth workers or young people. Sounds too cheesy...maybe I ought to find the hammock district...