A little question
In his book Good To Great
What is the key to organisational excellence? Why do some businesses thrive whilst others bumble along at the most mediocre of levels?
The answer is obvious… Leadership
- If you have an operations problem you need better leadership
- Profit problem – better leadership
- Poor employee engagement – leadership will fix it
Amazon has Jeff Bezos, Apple had Steve Jobs, the cure and cause of all organisational problems is leadership.
The people follow the example of those above them ~ Chinese Proverb
Is it really that simple? Is the reason for all organisational problems simply poor leadership?
Is our faith in leadership based on fact or belief?
In the Middle Ages people were beset by a whole host of problems…
- Plague
- Pestilence
- Earth quakes
- Floods
- Fires
- Famine
What was the cause and cure of all middle-aged man’s problems? — Well we have “stone age man”.
The answer was obvious… God
700 years ago they put their hearts and souls into worshipping their God and he solved their problems.
Take a good look at York Minster and think about how it was built. Worshipping God was a truly serious business. What could we build now with that much man power? Think about it for a while and you quickly realise how much they must have believed that God was the answer to all their problems.
Now we know differently
Far be it for me to decry the existence of a god, but today we understand the world a little differently:
- We understand where disease comes from and can cure much of it.
- We understand weather patterns and can protect ourselves from them.
- Famine is largely a man-made problem, not an environmental one.
We have come to realise that the solution to all our problems isn’t simply to worship God.
So here is the conundrum…
Is it ignorance that makes us think that good (God like) leadership is the cure to all of our woes?
Maybe there is there something else going on. Is leadership the only answer?
I have no idea. But it is an interesting question.
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Not really sure what you mean by the question James? What evidence do you have to support your assertion that “700 years ago they put their hearts and souls into worshipping their God and he solved their problems.” What problems did their belief solve exactly? Are you certain it didn’t cause yet more problems as the different faiths battled it out (as they still do) to convince the masses that their form of belief was the only ‘right’ belief – and if they didn’t agree well it was right and proper to kill them.
What ‘leadership’ did, or does, the church show apart from saying believe in God today to be sure of a better ‘life’ when you die? How did this help the people 700 years ago? Faith is a very personal and powerful thing for millions across the world – but not sure how it links to leadership?
Keith,
Maybe I put it badly, I will have another go
As a race when we can’t explain something we put in place a belief system. Hence my reference to religion in the middle ages.
I’d argue we still do that today. Take for example many HR peoples belief that ranking and stacking employees will solve all business ills, or the number of people who believe unequivocally that if they have more money they will be happier.
My question is that many of us believe that leadership is the foundation of organisational success. Is there any evidence to support that belief?
How is that? A better put question?
James,
I don’t know the answer to the question but I did watch an excellent Tom Peters video the other day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWO2mjp5Hsg
where he had some choice things to say about Jim Collins and his approach. Let’s say he’s not his biggest fan.
Adrian
Dissent amongst the Gurus?
Who’d have thought it
Thanks for the link
James
There are many things that improve organizational performance — e.g., technology, recruiting, systems that work, cultures that suit the environmental contingencies in a dynamic world, a strategic plan with a vision that is owned and used to make decisions at all levels. The Gallup Study specified 12 practices/beliefs highly correlated with productivity, profitability, customer loyalty and retention. But none of these succeed without leadership — leadership at all levels, leaders with and without authority to direct. Leaders educate, build confidence, challenge and involve us to commit to improved organizational performance.
Thanks for your thoughts Glen
Interesting question you pose, James. I don’t have the answer, either, but in my experience, the root cause seems to be leadership. But it seems there must be something behind that, too. Let me know if you find the answer. :-)
Annette :-)
I will sell you a copy of my book Annette, but don’t hold your breath