Every day the Gallup Institute tells us about poor workforce engagement in the U.S. The message is always a slap in the face of everyone classified as leader. Today Gallup says the number is 30,6%. This means that only 30,6% of the 160 million employees in the U.S. are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace.
One of the most common misunderstandings about leadership is that anyone who has reached a certain level of expertise in his or her field is automatically qualified to lead. The assumption is that the capacity to guide and manage a large number of diverse individuals in a complex work environment is a natural byproduct of technical competency rather than its own line of work requiring a separate and unique set of skills.
Nobody in their right mind would knowingly put his or her life in the hands of someone who lacks the training, skills and license required to operate a piece of machinery as complex and consequential as an airplane. Likewise, an airline would never assign ground personnel to pilot a plane simply because they did a great job at checking in passengers. Why then is it common practice for so many other businesses to fill leadership positions with people who lack the ability to lead?
The secret of good performance in a company lies in the interaction of its systematic elements and in controlling complexity. Managers must be excellent leaders and masters of complexity management. This is especially important if they are in charge of managing manufacturing companies.
Successful entrepreneurs and managers know that personnel decisions are the most significant decisions in the day-to-day business of leadership. Nothing determines the success or failure of an organization as much as the right person in the right place.
