Covey (1992) lists four different management paradigms, which include scientific authoritarian, benevolent authoritarian, human resource, and principle-centered leadership. I prefer to manage, based on the human resource paradigm. In other words, I want to balance kindness with efficiency and talent (Covey, 1992). I realize that, beyond the fundamental physiological needs, followers also seek security, stability, and career growth. Simultaneously, I myself want to be managed by principle-based leaders, since they treat their followers as spiritual beings (Covey, 1992). I always want to have a clear sense of what leaders expect from me. Unfortunately, the way I am currently managed can be best described as the human relations paradigm. Our managers recognize that we are more than stomachs, but they fail to see us holistically (Covey, 1992).
Speaking of the seven habits of highly effective people, Habit 1 is the most meaningful to me for two reasons (Covey, 1992). First, I believe in the power of internal motivation. An effective person makes the first step and tries to be ahead of time. I am also certain that leaders and followers must assume responsibility for their decisions rather than manipulate their knowledge of external forces to justify their failures. Second, my position is that leaders must anticipate and solve problems, before they turn into disasters. Being proactive is the beginning of everything successful in an organization.
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As for my manager, I would say that point 8, “drive out fear to increase everyone’s effectiveness”, is the key one (Covey, 1992, p. 277). It is time for my manager to move away from authoritarianism and command towards trust, rapport, and effective communication. Using the seven habits of highly effective people, I would explain to the manager that he must become proactive in creating a culture of trust and collaboration. He should shift his focus from profits to people and learn to prioritize among multiple goals and decisions. Ultimately, collaboration and trust represent a win-win solution to numerous organizational problems. They create an impetus for promoting empathic communication and creative cooperation, leading to continuous improvement through information exchange, employee engagement, empowerment, and effective human relations.
One of the self-imposed barriers I am trying to work through right now is failure to recognize and praise followers’ strengths. Hesselbein (2002) writes that it is not uncommon for leaders to emphasize what followers cannot do well. My biggest problem is that I see people in a negative rather than positive light. Even if I do not say it openly, I still notice what a person has failed to accomplish rather than what the same person has managed to do. As for the institutional barriers, I have observed how organizations that claimed to treat their workers as the greatest asset did not fulfill their promise. This is what Hesselbein (2002) calls “bottom-line mentality” (p. 39). Many organizations treat their workers as merely an instrument for making profits. Few successful companies have managed to achieve the level of excellence, when all workers are treated as holistic beings. This bottom-line mentality prevents workers from developing intrinsic motivation. Such workers will hardly work beyond their capacity to meet organizational goals. Organizations that treat their workers as stomachs are likely to face high levels of employee turnover, low employee morale, low levels of employee and customer satisfaction and, eventually, low efficiency and high costs.
The topic of subject matter experts is the most interesting to me. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (2016) provides some useful information about it. The material is particularly relevant to those, who want to learn the roles played by subject matter experts in organizations and their implications for organizational leadership and performance. The topic is both interesting and meaningful, as I seek to become an expert in my professional and workplace fields. I also want to become more proficient in attracting the best subject matter experts to work in our organization. I want to see how the most experienced and advanced professionals work collaboratively to achieve a common purpose.
