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The Devil and Management
Training What do the Devil and management training have to do with each other? Well, if you think about the team leadership qualities of some of the leaders you know who have been through the typical ineffective management training you don’t need us to answer that question for you. But, that’s not our story. We actually got to engage the Devil on his management development…and live to tell the tale! Now, this is actually a story within a story that addresses some of the most fundamental questions in management training: • Can you change leaders’ behavior? • Can really bad leaders change? • Can you change a leader’s heart and really make the change stick? • How long should management training last? Our story begins. We are sitting in the boardroom of a large U.S. company. The senior leadership team surrounds us. They are looking more than a little skeptical. The CEO, whom we had done some other work for, had asked us to talk to his team about how we could help them create a management training program that would teach the right leadership skills to all managers. We were being hit with comments and questions like; “management training is a waste of time” “I’ve never seen management development work” “Who cares what leadership qualities you have, just get the work done” Then this gruff senior Vice President challenged us with “Do you really think you can change the heart of a leader? I mean you might get them to nod their head “yes” that certain leadership styles are more appropriate than others, but at the end of the day they are going to keep doing the same things they have always done. So, answer my question, do you really think you can change a leader’s heart?” We looked at each other and then one of us said; “I don’t know and I don’t care and neither should you. But, let me tell you what I do know. The right kind of management training can change behavior and make it last…well, sort of. Let us tell you a story.” Now, this is where the Devil comes into our story. Turn the calendar back 10 years from the boardroom we were all just in. We are with a brand new client. We are at the beginning of a management training program for more than 250 leaders. We have started with the top dozen or so leaders for executive development. We had just received the results of a leadership skills survey and were meeting with each executive to give them the feedback and discuss their management development plan. The CFO had been there for years. His secret nickname across the organization was “The Devil.” He loved to put people on the spot in public and make them twist while he blasted them. He had orchestrated the firing of scores of leaders just because he was in a battle with their bosses. He was a tyrant, plain and simple. His survey results included this comment from one of the staff; “He can suck the soul out of a person and enjoys doing it.” Against all expectations his behavior began to change for the positive. He began to call himself “Good Robert” (name changed to protect the guilty!) and so did other people. In fact, at a social event his wife took us aside and said; “I don’t know what you’re doing with him at work, but keep it up!” And here is the amazing thing, his behavior stayed positive for 6 years! So there are the answers to the first two questions we posed at the beginning of this article. Can you change leaders’ behavior? Absolutely! Can really bad leaders change? Yes, again! But what about that next question; Can you change a leader’s heart and really make the change stick? The change stuck for 6 years. But, then the hero of our story left to become a CEO at another company. He called us to say; “I just wanted to tell you that I always hated that management training program and I’m not going to hire you guys to help me here. I’m going back to being “Bad Robert.” I always like being “Bad Robert” and that’s who I’m going to be!” Did management training ever change Robert’s heart? No it did not. But it did change his behavior for 6 years. Which leads us to the answer to our last question; How long should management training last? Forever. Let us rephrase that; it is something that every leader needs to do for themselves and every organization needs to do for all of its leaders. Why? Because, while Robert’s behavior was extreme his tendency to fall back into bad habits is neither extreme nor unusual. We all have that tendency. But we can avoid that trap by continually focusing on the specific leadership qualities we want to exhibit. Excellent management training will allow you to keep that focus. About the authors: Rob Linn and Rich Ottaviano have over 50 years of combined business expertise. Some of their clients include Microsoft, Dole Foods, Nissan Motors, Washington Mutual, Mount Sinai Medical Center/Miami Heart Institute, Hoag Hospital, Hawaii Pacific Health, and 100’s of others in many different industries. To read more of our articles, please click on archives. Don't miss an opportunity to purchase our ebook, "6 Secrets of Successful Leaders" and start your journey to the top ! Click here for more information. Also, please visit our blog. Click on Management Training for Team Leadership. If you would like to email us with questions or comments, please email info@successfulleadershipkills.com. |
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