A bright Sunday morning

It’s a bright Sunday morning and I thought I’d pen this week’s blog sitting at the kitchen table for a change. I’ve been reading the winter edition of Professional Manager magazine, always well worth a read and a think. 

Ann Francke, the CEO of the Chartered Management Institute always pens a compelling read in her briefing. This quarter she makes some forthright observations that strike a chord with me – both in the public sector generally and probably at Wiltshire Council in some areas too. 

She argues that much of management isn’t management at all. In fact it’s the opposite. Rather than managing people, weaker leaders retreat to a comfort zone of command and control. You will have heard me speak about command and control before – the antitheses of systems thinking. The real job of managers, which should be to motivate people, inspire them to encourage others and develop their strengths become casualties of a culture that has become more about locking people in than setting them free. 

In many organisations, particularly in the public sector I believe, managers seek to do the right thing but the corporate DNA of command and control and micro managing causes them to behave differently; to comply with the expectation that to succeed they need to interfere with the detail and negate the real aspects of their role which should be to motivate and develop staff whilst thinking about and planning how the organisation will grow and achieve its performance objectives within decreasing income. 

As Preteous is reported to have said, the role of the leader is to inspire, enable and support. And then ensure you don’t get in the way. 

Food for thought. It would be good to hear your views. 

Speak again soon. 

For daily updates, discussion, personal opinion, comment or just to connect or keep in touch you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drcarltonbrand. 

Carlton