Originally Posted by
cbire880
That's the difference between management and leadership. Managers do well for short term gains, but often miss the bigger picture. Leaders find ways to get the job done as effectively as possible. This country is in dire need of less bean counting managers looking for instant gratification and more leaders who look at the bigger purpose. I'm a firm believer that your people will work themselves to death for you if they believe that they are necessary and valuable to the sucess of the the venture. That's what Southwest has had. The odd part is that total pay is one of the smaller factors in creating that empowerment. Good employee relations with open and honest communication goes much farther to create that environment. When employees understand that cost structure that drives their pay and how they contribute to it, they will more quickly come to an understanding of whether their pay is fair or not.
I agree with you . . . what we need is leadership! Anyone can be "put" in to a managerial role, but only some are "leaders!" One can buy a management degree, yet leadership cannot be bought, it is a part of that person, and is extremely valuable, and there is a lack of it. It is indeed what one says, but way more than that, it is what one DOES! How he conducts his life. Leadership is not a 9-5 thing, its instilled, and should be seen in all aspects of one's life, at home, at church, on the softball field, and of course, at work. You know which people "have" these characteristics, and you know who doesn't have em'. It, IMHO, basically boils down to caring! A person who could care less about anything, is not a leader. We need good leadership at all levels, union and management included. I am reminded of one of my favorite Biblical parables, one reaps what one sowes. so true . . .