Know Your People
Publishing Everything You Know about Organizational Behavior You Learned in High School has been a very rewarding and gratifying experience. I began writing it in July of last year. My nephew James designed the cover for me. I submitted the initial manuscript in December. My publisher, Archway Publishing has been phenomenal in their support and guidance. The editorial process was very thorough and educational. My support team led by Tim patiently guided me through the production process. On July 15, 2019, I became an “author” as the book became available for sale through a variety of websites including Amazon and Barnes & Noble .com. When I saw the finished product with my name on the front cover for the first time, I had to take a step back and pinch myself to make sure it was real. Once I realized that I was not dreaming, I transitioned quickly from euphoria to anxiety. How will I promote and sell the book? Will people like the book? Will anyone buy it? What will reviews be like? How will I handle negative feedback? Will the people close to me give me honest feedback or will they try not to hurt my feelings if they didn’t like it?
I had many questions about this new “author” experience. As I was working through the questions and preparing the “to do” list, I concluded that the most important question was the last one. Simply put…how do you determine if the information you receive is accurate? Upon reflection, I realized that this same challenge faces leaders every day.
Getting the right information is critical to good decision making.
One of the major challenges facing business leaders is the quality and integrity of the information they receive in order to make decisions. Getting the right information is critical to good decision making. Ass kissing behavior is the greatest impediment to this aspect of being a good leader. A leader must create an environment where individuals are encouraged to offer honest and direct feedback even if it is a dissenting view. Unfortunately, even if the leader is successful in creating the proper environment there is no guarantee that all will contribute in that manner. Ass kissing behavior runs deep and many people are skeptical about offering a “dissenting view” for fear of reprisal despite assurances to the contrary. So how do we overcome this one? It is simple really. Know your people. Become familiar with their tendencies, especially when stressed. Understand their strengths and shortcomings. Learn how to understand what they mean by the way they say it not the words they use. A leader that can accomplish this level of knowledge will never have to deal with Ass Kissers.
I will not have to deal with Ass Kissers.
I will not have to deal with Ass Kissers. I am surrounded by kind and supportive individuals. My challenge is in convincing them that the best way that they can be supportive is to be brutally honest. I am counting on it.