Be a trail blazer

I saw this image in a post a while back and it really bothered me. At the same time, it made me realize how happy I am that this leadership mentality is hopefully on its way out.

Remember the movie Office Space? Remember the scene with “The Bobs” when Peter is being brutally honest with both of them? If not, you can click on this link and refresh your memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoC7e-mqPCc 

"That will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired."

That line stuck with me from the moment I watched the movie for the first time. It’s so true. I think we’ve all had those jobs, especially early on in our careers when we were at the bottom. Bottom of the barrel. Bottom of the totem pole. Bottom of the food chain. However you call it. We were newbies. We had to do the dirty work that nobody else wanted to do. And what was our main motivator? To get out from under the bottom of the barrel. Why did we get up and go to that crap job? Because if we didn’t, we’d get fired and replaced in a heartbeat. That was just the nature of the beast. At that level, there is always someone else who will show up and do your job.

I think it’s also fair to assume that all of us have had at least one horrible boss. That boss who is negative, lazy, threatening, unprofessional, and just plain makes life harder to live. They instill fear into to you from day one. They demand respect. They intimidate with threats. They foster a terrible culture full of fear. Employees turn into some crazy episode of Corporate Survivor and they start to turn on each other to save themselves.  And the result…everyone works just hard enough to not get fired.

But when we get older and have more experience under our belts, why do we tolerate this type of leadership? Because we’ve been fed lies and have allowed ourselves to be controlled by fear. Don’t buy into it. If you ever have a boss who says anything like “No matter how good you are, you can always be replaced,” run. Run fast and don’t look back. You will be in a situation where turnover is out of control. You’ll get to know new people and within 3 months, they’ll be gone. Either they saw the writing on the wall right away and quit, or they will be spotted as someone who “isn’t going to get on the bus” and will be terminated. And don't, for one second, think that you are exempt from being voted off the island.

When companies and leaders start to look at employees as dispensable or replaceable, you’ve gotten on the wrong bus and are headed in the wrong direction. People are valuable and they deserve to be treated better than objects or widgets. The only way you are going to get the maximum productivity, loyalty, and admiration from them is to train them properly, develop them, encourage them, support them, set a great example, and praise them. We’ve all heard the old saying “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” It’s so true.

If there is one thing I want the next generation of leaders to absorb from this, it is: Understand that you have the power to be better leaders. Great leaders don't lead with intimidation. Truly great leaders develop and mentor. Yes, you can be replaced, but being reminded of that is like someone telling you every day that you are going to die someday. Fear can be crippling and it all starts at the top. Strive to blaze a new trail of leadership. Motivate with encouragement and recognition. Don’t tear down with fear. Create followers who admire you because of your character, not because they are scared of being replaced.

by:
Ben Marincovich

Source:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trail-blazer-ben-marincovich?trk=v-feed&trk=v-feed&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3BiiwC%2F5Za51ylQ7kjJ4XNiw%3D%3D