We Forget What we Should Rememberà
Why is it that so many managers and organizations fail once theyÆve acquired
a long desired position? Simple: because they forget what brought them there
in the first place!
ThereÆs not much new or earth shattering incorporated in this article. Just
a piece of plain old truth that is amazingly overlooked as often as the
world spins around its axis: Once people manage to achieve their goal they
have a tendency to change their approach. "Now that life has become easier,"
they seem to think, "There is no need to continue the humble, empathetic,
understanding attitude." What they forget right then and there is, that it
was this very approach that got them where they are now in the first place.
They go by the old saying of "Once youÆve caught a fish there is no need to
feed it any longer."
Many of the readers may shake their heads while reading this. Some may think
that IÆm just stating the obvious here (which is true), while others may
wonder if people are really THAT shortsighted to make the above described
mistake (which is also true).
But itÆs a fact. Look at all the organizations that fail on basis of the
most ridiculous decisions: Decisions that were made because somewhere,
somehow, they forgot the flexible, fast-moving approach that used to be
theirs back when. Decisions made from a cold, high, ivory tower where all
information is thoroughly filtered before it reaches this highest echelon.
And this echelon enjoys its "high and mighty" status so much that it forgets
to maintain the once so successful strategy of mingling with the simple
ones. But thatÆs where it also forgets that these simple ones are the
crucial maintainers of contact with the world outside, and therefore know
exactly whatÆs going on. The operational level workers are the ones that are
in touch with customers and know what they like or dislike: what they
praise, and what they complain about. But there is no way of communicating
their findings with the leader, because they donÆt have access to the top:
The once so successfully practiced act of "Management By Wandering Around"
has become history.
In fact this phenomenon could be generalized: There are so many things that
are actually obvious, but still remain unpracticed, or are ceased to be
done, because people get in some kind of daze when they acquire certain
positions. The good intentions end when the dreams come true...
A friend of mine put it this way: "Sometimes we stop doing the things that
made us successful once we've managed to succeed." And thatÆs it exactly!
But thatÆs also when good people start fearing us, start withdrawing from
us, and go the other way. We select a group of new acquaintances: the flies
that appeared when the scent became sweet. The slick ones that tell us how
great we are. The ego-feeders. And we start making our decisions based on
their impulses. And before too long, weÆve acquired the image of "The
Unapproachable," or "The Untouchable." And then, we make our mistake: the
company we lead is losing its once so strong market position, and we, the
ones responsible for this loss, fall out of grace. And it all started with
forgetting what we should have rememberedà
Joan Marques, Burbank, November 16, 2003
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About the Author:
Joan Marques, holds an MBA, is a doctoral candidate in Organizational
Leadership, and a university instructor in Business and Management in
Burbank, California. You may visit her web site at www.joanmarques.com
Joan's manual "Feel Good About Yourself," a six part series to get you over
the bumps in life and onto success, can be purchased and downloaded at:
http://www.non-books.com/FeelGoodSeries.html-----------------------------------------------------
