Is your company Oprah or Jerry?
BY Mike
Foti
I’m sure most of us at one time have watched Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Springer’s
popular talk shows on television. There are several similarities between the
“leaders” of these two shows; they have growing and profitable businesses, are
competitive, hard working, persistent, and believe strongly in the social causes
that have impacted their lives. This is where the similarities end.
Oprah’s Show
Oprah Winfrey views her show as a teaching tool that presents both positive role
models and what is right with the world. Oprah believes that while we are
learning, growing, and taking responsibility for our own life, we can also serve
as inspirational leaders for others. She believes if we are passionate about our
life’s mission, and kind and considerate to others, we can achieve a higher
level of success than we imagined. Since people are at the heart of our
businesses, Oprah advances that we need to treat them with trust and compassion
to be able to truly make a difference. In the end she believes our greatness
will be determined by our service to others and dedication to a larger purpose
in our lives.
Jerry’s Show
Jerry Springer views his show as a vehicle to show the outrageousness in society
and to expose the ludicrous beliefs, attitudes, and prejudices of people. Jerry
believes he is giving the people the entertainment show that they want while
exposing what is wrong with society. His ratings have proven that as the
fighting and outrageousness of the shows increased so did the number of viewers.
While Oprah sees her show as a teaching tool for her larger mission to help
others, Jerry sees his role on the show as a paid entertainer. As noted in his
book he said,
“A talk show is just a job. What a person does for a living doesn’t determine
what he or she believes or thinks.”
I think what Jerry is saying is that as a paid entertainer his role is to grow a
profitable show and give the audience (customers) what they want exclusive of
his individual beliefs.
Does your company have more “Oprah” or “Jerry” characteristics?
To evaluate whether our company has more “Oprah” or “Jerry” characteristics we
need to ask some of the following questions:
-
Is the goal simply to maximize earnings through
whatever means are required? Do the ends justify the means?
-
Do we live our beliefs through our work? Are our
work beliefs and ethics different than our home beliefs?
-
Do we let people act outrageously if they are
good “producers?”
-
Do we hire people that have a “team” attitude, or
do we hire “free agents” that provide immediate skills without caring for the
team?
-
Is our company a developmental vehicle to help
others learn and grow, or is it merle a financial tool to get a return on
investment?
-
Are we spending the majority of our time
controlling and managing the outrageousness around us or leading the team with
a higher purpose and vision?
I believe we need more “Oprah” in our companies!
To have an “Oprah” style organization we must believe that our organization has
a larger purpose than just making money. We must believe that (A) learning,
growing, and helping others and (B) excellent financial returns are not mutually
exclusive. We must believe that nice guys can finish first! If we buy this how
do we go about doing it? Here are some ideas to consider:
-
When making a decision ask yourself whether your
action is in concert with the values you teach your children.
-
Even if somebody is a great “producer”, if they
are destructive to the team attitude find the opportunity to release them.
-
When hiring be more concerned with personal and
social characteristics (like trust, empathy, compassion, and family
background) than you are with their immediate skill set. You can teach the
skills quicker than you can attempt to mold or change the attitudes.
-
Develop a personal development program for people
who report to you. Do not limit this program to skills immediately needed for
their position.
-
Publicize and present a larger vision for the
corporation that not only shows a care for finances, but also a care for
growing people as well.
As has been said many times before all great things
happen through people. If we want to lead our organizations for the best results
we need to be people focused first and profit focused second. I believe if we
take care to hire, develop, and lead our people with a shared positive vision
the profit will take care of itself! Nice people can finish first and
feel good about the process along the way!
If you would like to have Mike speak to your group consider the following
programs:
"Growing Leadership"
"Unleashing the Hidden Tools of Effective
Leadership"
If you want to get Mike's insights on this topic in one on one sessions
click here.
<< Back
Mike Foti is Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Glass Block (a
Northcoast 99 recipient for best employers in Northeast Ohio and a Community
Pillar Award winner for community service) and President of Leadership Builders.
Mike is a national speaker, writer, and consultant who helps individuals and
companies get results through people. To ask Mike how he might help you, or to
receive his free tips and leadership articles, call 216-531-6085 or visit his
web site at
www.leadershipbuilders.com.
|
