You say management is the problem in change making?
Part of the problem, yes. Take a longer view: for more than five thousand years, management has been telling the workers what to do. In fact, they’ve operated on a management philosophy that can be summed up in six words: “Do it or we’ll hurt you.”
Of the three kinds of power, that one, the coercive form, is most expedient and efficient. The military needs it and so do parents when they’re fearing for their child’s life as s/he is running towards the street and moving cars. It’s the least effective, for the long-haul, though.
So, do you advocate for a different kind of power?
Yes, I’m a fan of the persuasive form of power. It takes longer and it requires more skill but it’s more effective when people aren’t enslaved. The knowledge worker of today has his/her productivity affected by management's methods: they’re not building pyramids or shoveling coal for the US steel plant’s furnaces in Gary, Indiana. They think. They solve problems. And, to do that, they’ve got to feel like they’re empowered to execute changes without fear of reprisals.
You say you work on leadership...can you elaborate?
Sure. In the absence of effective leaders, we have a devolving system: disaffection; disillusionment; disappointment. I help leaders to become more effective by giving them a chance to embrace and enhance some tools and disciplines they may already have. Communications, staying on message. Vision.
So, I help leaders to become more effective. The result is systemic: more vibrant environments, more risk, more innovation, a higher level of individual empowerment. More meaning. And, yes, of course, profits.
You know, you sound like a smart, wise man. You also sound like a nut!
Thank you for the compliment. A nut? Well, maybe that’s true; today, we might need some nutty people: the old way isn’t working anymore. Someone, like me, who advocates something a bit different could, easily, seem like a nut. I’m not though.
If you still think I’m a nut, I’ll tell you this: : I’m a productive nut: I get things done. And, I help people embrace change and move into new modes of thinking, new paradigms.
I show up on time. I do my homework. And, since I was eighteen years of age, I’ve run businesses that serve and satisfy customers -- whether it’s a college auto repair business or turning around a non-profit Montessori school.
What’s your most powerful individual technique?
My most powerful individual technique? When I’m with another human being, the most profound actiivity I can engage is is listening. I listen. It’s a developed skill. I used to think I needed to talk a lot. I don’t. You have answers; you know the problems. My job is to help you see both of those realities.
I don’t need, anymore, to shine the light on me, how bright I am. So, I can shut up. And, listen. Focus on you and your challenges. Sometimes, there’s silence. (Sorta like a shrink?)
So, I listen. I’m getting better at it all the time. I ask a lot of questions, too. And, what’s most important, I ask them as if I don’t have any answers because...I don’t. For me, the question is the answer.
Do you or have you had a mentor, someone who’s helped you move along?
I think the most profound relationship I’ve had with anyone famous is M. Scott Peck, M.D., the author of The Road Less Traveled and several other books. Scotty, as he liked to be called, was not only a brilliant man, he was flawed. And, he let me see his flaws. Seeing this “reality” in such a famous person made me accept the flawed nature of being human; it gave me permission to be more of who I am.
I was also blessed with a guy named Ray Amado, a rennaissance man, who came into my life when I was 12. He called me “Georgie” and got away with it. He ran a medical laboratory, flew little planes, operated a HAM radio and started up a trumpet mouthpiece company. He showed me, in a way, what’s possible.
And, then, of course, I’ve had a lot of good therapists and counselors. The best of them often made me very uncomfortable. I’m a lucky guy.
What’s your philosophy about businesses? I hear it’s a bit radical.
I believe that humans are social creatures and crave connection (see deWaal’s work), much like any other primate. It is my belief that organizations -- both for- and not-for-profit institutions -- are organic social entities and are inherently imperfect and political vehicles for getting work done. However, they also satisfy both a basic economic and human need.
When viewed from that perspective, the work of the organization -- the company, the firm, the agency, the unit -- is to provide a place where human needs -- of both the customer and the workers -- get satisfied through the creation and delivery of the purchase of a product or service.
In an idealistic way, money flows because needs are getting satisfied. It’s not rocket science. But, few humans possess the various disciplines required to operate from this perspective; this is where my help becomes important and essential, in some way, for something new to emerge.