Showing posts with label Degrading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Degrading. Show all posts

March 18, 2017

The Greatest Failure of Leadership

So perhaps the most damaging trait of failed leadership is hubris.


When a leaders exhibits arrogance--bullies and degrades others, especially underlings--then that absolutely destroys the moral fiber of and the employee engagement in the organization.


No, it's not the salary and benefits, or recognition, or position title, or even the grandness of the mission of the organization itself--although they are all important--but rather, the key ingredient to employee satisfaction is the common sense fundamental of how we treat our people.


People rising or elevated in the organization frequently forget the humble beginnings from whence they and their families likely began.


They see their honor and fat pay check and power--and they start to perhaps think of themselves as (close to) G-d Almighty, Him/Herself.


But it is not their position that makes them in the image of G-d, but how they care for and treat others.


If they shepherd their flocks meekly and with empathy and kindness to all then they emulate G-d, the creator and sustainer.


But when it goes to their heads and they become fat and haughty with themselves and are above everyone and care not for the basic dignity and respect of each individual in their steward then G-d sees and G-d hears the cry of the oppressed, and the mighty will surely fall and hard.


As it says in Isaiah 13:11:

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.


Those who are blessed by G-d with position, money, and power--their challenge is to be gracious and giving with it. 


When they "laud it" over others and when they think that they are truly "all that"--rest assured that G-d does not let any tree grow or tower (of Babel) build into the Heavens themselves. 


Empathy, kindness, graciousness, and generosity--that is true leadership--and that is when employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity will bear the mark of the meek and the truly great person and leader. ;-)


(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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May 5, 2013

What Did The Cereal Box Say To The BMW?

This family had just come out of Costco loaded with groceries. 

They are heading to the garage to pack it into their car. 

A BMW comes racing through the garage and runs over one of these mega Costco cereal boxes. 

The car keeps going with the cereal box being dragged underneath.

The family runs through the garage and cuts off the BMW waving and yelling for him to stop. 

He skids across the double-yellow line and stops blocking both sides of the road.

The man who lost his cereal bends under the front of the BMW to try to extricate the cereal. 

The box is so Costco big, it barely can come out. 

The man's family looks on from the side. 

Finally, he wiggles the box this way and that and gets the cereal box out from under the BMW. 

The driver is standing there sort of bewildered by the whole thing.

If the cereal box could talk, I think it'd beg for a better ending than this. 

Too often, as we go through life, we mow other people down who are in our way.

Thank G-d, this was just a box of cereal and not the man's child or wife that had been run over and dragged. 

I wondered how degrading it must have felt for this poor guy to be bending down in the street to get the box out, while the driver simply looks on in an uncaring disdain. 

I almost thought for a moment, the driver was going to either just keep going or when he got out wallop the other guy for hassling him to get his cereal. 

People can be strange that way and you never know what is going to happen next. 

It is good that other people can be around with smartphone cameras and video, so that people don't feel that they can just behave indiscriminately and obscurely. 

In the end, no one should think they are all that--and have the right to uncaringly run over others' persons or things. 

We are all frail humans and G-d is always there with a very big, high megapixel smartphone recording it all for judgement day. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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