In our new book, The Future Starts Now, we argue that something important has changed in the way people think about themselves --- and that means leaders (even the church kind) have to rethink the way they lead. No more bossing people around, keeping people in the dark, assuming they'll be happy just to have a job (even if it's sucking the life out of them), taking for granted that people will listen to you just because you have the title and the corner office (or the clerical collar), or wasting their gifts and passions. Leaders in this emerging future will have to learn to live and work with people in new - renewable - ways.
Don't believe us? Ask the executives at the hotel chain, Hyatt, these days.
Hyatt is enduring a flood of bad publicity for its recent decision to fire 98 housekeepers in three Boston area hotels and replace them with contractors. Hyatt executives are claiming "bad economy!" The housekeepers are crying "foul!"
Key Point Here: The execs still have their jobs.
Paul Michelman, writing for the Harvard Business Review today, says in spite of the efforts those execs have made to try and clean up the PR mess they created, the damage to the Hyatt brand - at least in Boston where people are really p.o.'d - will long remain. And they've sullied (even further) the image of business leaders who have become everybody's favorite bad guy in this real-to-real movie we're living through called The Great Recession. Have you seen the latest polls? Americans trust the White House and Congress more to clean up the financial mess we're in than Wall Street, banks, or business leaders (especially the ones who make cars).
What can leaders (in any type of organization) learn from all this?
Here's what Michelman says:
"Be careful. Tread lightly. Think twice. You are surrounded by the watchful eyes, loud voices, and powerful key-stroking fingers of people who are angry, who are paying attention, and who believe they have the power to change the world. Ignore this climate, or assume you can "control the message," and, well, you may end up having a fortnight like Hyatt's." (Read Michelman's article here.)Want help learning how to lead effectively in this new climate? Would you rather invest time in cultivating people and creating a healthy place for people to work together --- instead of in cleaning up messes you didn't need to make? Do you have a sense that something is different about people today but you're not sure how to respond?
And, if you're leading a faith-based organization, you might want to join us for a one-day workshop --- we're offering them in nine cities as a part of our "Treasure in Clay Jars" tour, kicking off on October 8th in Chicago. Other cities include: San Francisco, LA, Hartford CT, Baltimore/DC, Winnipeg, Orlando, Charlotte NC, and Philadelphia.
Click on this link for tour and registration info.
Early-bird rates still apply.
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