Thoughts on Leadership

I consider myself to be a passionate person about good leadership. The people I invest in I strive to make better leaders. I get very frustrated at poor leadership by church staff and in the workplace.

Sometimes I let frustrating things go. Recently it has been easier to let frustrating things go because I won't be around here too much longer. Sometimes I don't let frustrating things go. Recently it has been easier not to let frustrating things go because I won't be around here too much longer.

Friday was one of those days that I didn't let a frustrating situation just slip by. About 2:45 my boss strolls out of his office with a smirk on his face and it appears he has an announcement to make. I say, "What's up, Mark?" He lets us know that "the office" will be closing at 4 PM due to weather. I ask, "Well, since I haven't had a lunch break yet, can I leave at 3?" My co-worker speaks up and says, "Since I only took a 15 minute break can I leave at 3:30?" My boss says, "Wow! I thought you guys would be happy to leave at 4!" I blurted out, "Buy you came in at 10 AM and took an hour and a half lunch." Ooops. First he said that he was going to "burn" a half of vacation day. Then, he said that he came in late and took a long lunch because he was working Dawn's shift to give extra coverage. Well, he couldn't have been doing both things. Much of me truly believes he was making an excuse. He was very quiet during my last 15 minutes.

It felt good. Not to one up my boss, but to open his eyes. He is a good "manager." He is a poor leader. Here's why I say that. This past summer he called someone in off of vacation in order to take someone else in the office to a golf outing. The person called in off of vacation performs a completely different job than the person Mark took to the golf outing. As a manager, you can do that. As a leader it is good to explain why two people need to go to a golf outing. Will it help having an additional person there, who just happens to breathe golf, in order to cement relationships and increase business?

Many of us have complained to Mark about Chuck's toxic attitude. The way Chuck treats customers, inspectors, and even others in "the office." Mark ignores it. Once ever four to six weeks he emerges from his office and micromanages everyone for approximately two hours, then returns to his office and hides from the rest of his staff for another four to six weeks.

The last month or more I have stepped up what I do there. Not only doing what is on my job description, but the jobs of many others as well. Even though that gives others even more time to trade stocks all day. And, Mark knows of their stock trading.

Friday it would have been so easy just to ignore Mark's attitude of "there is one set of rules for me and another set of rules for everyone else." I am in a place where I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. No one in "the office" under Mark's management has had a raise or review in over two years. I will only be around a few more months. It is very good that poor leadership can be challenged without fear of what consequences truth could bring.