Dee Seen boasts about his ability as an effective leader. He is the HMIC (Head Man In Charge). He feels he?s the greatest manager ever. His senior managers love him. Dee always picks the right projects to maximize his visibility. He eats lunch with the power brokers in his organization. But---his staff hates him. Dee rarely talks with his employees; he likes to keep information to himself. He treats his staff like children. When Dee finally leaves this company, his employees never miss him. Life goes on.

The Leadership Jungle

Do you remember seeing the Planet of the Apes in 2001 on the big theatre screen or DVD? This movie, a remake of the 1968 sci-fi classic, is a story filled with leadership symbols. It is the year 2029. An American astronaut lands on Earth 2,000 years in the future where apes rule and humans are servants. You see the gorillas are in charge, using power when necessary. Orangutans, chimps, and other primates can only sit by and watch from the sidelines. Gorillas don?t want input. Gorillas are in charge.

Today, many managers tend to operate like gorillas in power. People in organizations tend to follow the person in power, not necessarily the best thinkers. This is called the Alpha Principle. Harry Beckwith, marketing author, states that most organizations operate like apes. He notes, ?The alphas dictate what the group does and thinks. But are alphas better at decision making? Not necessarily. Alphas are just better at getting and keeping power.? Poorly skilled managers cause a lot of unnecessary stress to families because they don?t understand how to treat people. Employees then bring it home to their families, thereby creating more problems.

The Leader?s Challenge

Can effective leadership exist in a selfish world? Many CEOs proclaim huge profit margins while using their employees as casualties of economic warfare. Is this leadership? Leadership is the ability to influence, guide, and direct others. Leaders get people to do things they wouldn?t normally do alone. As businesses fight to stay alive in the changing marketplace, there is an increasing need for effective leaders. Many people try to distinguish a manager from a leader.

John Kotter, author of The Leadership Factor, cites the need for both skills. He writes, ?Strong management tends to be ?tight?; with no leadership, it often becomes more and more bureaucratic over time, less and less original in its thinking, and controlling. In a similar way, strong leadership tends to be ?volatile?; with no management to control things and to provide reality checks, it can evolve into certain Jim Jones or Hitlerian madness. Hence, both management and leadership are probably always needed.? Understanding employees takes a certain amount of risk. Leaders take risks while managers try to eliminate risk. Without the necessary leadership in an organization, workers will only give the minimum to get the job done. Innovation and creativity die. However, effective managers know how to get the most from their employees.

Power is a key component of leadership. Power is the ability of a person in an organization to influence others to accomplish a desired outcome. In most organizations power often evolves into the domination of others. Managers have five sources of power. Legitimate power comes from the formal management position. Reward power comes from the ability to give awards such as promotions. The authority to punish is called coercive power. Expert power comes from the person?s higher skills or knowledge about a subject.

Lastly, referent power is derived from personal characteristics that employees admire. Management?s fear of losing power is the biggest barrier to empowering employees. But---empowerment increases employee morale. Some people don?t understand the merits of satisfied employees on the bottom line. Take this litmus test to determine if you work for a leader.

1. Does the manager value your contribution?
2. Does the manager care about you as an individual?
3. Does the manager share information with the group?
4. Do you trust and respect your manager?
5. Are you rewarded and recognized for your performance?
6. Does your manager try to assist you with your career development?
7. Would you follow your manager if your salary was not at risk?

New Leadership Paradigm

Leadership is a lifestyle not some faddish program. No training program will ever replace the genuine sincerity of a manager. Employees know when managers are not real. You can?t hide it. John Maxwell, author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, explains, ?As a leader, you don?t earn any points from failing in a noble cause?Your success is measured by your ability to actually take the people where they need to go.? Maxwell also argues that a leader can only be successful if his followers first buy into him as a leader. Effective, caring managers must replace bad ones. Future managers must make the effort to understand their employees. However, organizations that continue to promote these selfish, career-climbing managers will soon find themselves alone on the Planet of the Apes.