Our object in this chapter is to get at the practical
elements of leadership; to find out what
leadership requires in one's own personal qualities
and in the methods of dealing with men. In doing
this the first consideration is to understand the object
of leadership. To get a clear conception of the
object of an undertaking should always be the
first step in its execution, for men work to better
advantage and leaders lead to better advantage,
when the object of their efforts is clearly defined in
their minds. One would think that the Allies had
been fighting the war to the best of their ability;
yet recall the tremendous impetus given their
efforts, when, in answer to the President's question,
they had clearly defined their object in fighting.
The Object of Leadership then is so to handle
one's men as to build up and maintain a high spirit
of discipline and morale, of individual initiative, of
loyalty and of teamwork; and so to direct this
spirit as to win the highest efficiency for the accomplishment
of the purpose in view. In short its
object is to develop the psychological elements of
the machine of organization, and thus increase its
efficiency by doubling its manpower. So the object
of every step in this discussion, the psychologic object
of every step in leadership, is to secure better
discipline and morale, more intelligent initiative,
keener loyalty and better teamwork. The student
must keep these objects ever in mind in both study
and practice, as furnishing a purpose or guide in
all that is said or done. The accomplishment of
these objects is a constant inspiration to a good
leader; by his comments and criticisms during the
progress of the work, by his every act in administration,
he seeks to build up morale and initiative and
all these essential qualities in the characters of his
men.
As to the Personal Qualities required in the
leader, we only ask that each man use intelligently
the ones that he has. It is not intended to enumerate
all the high qualities of the great leaders of
history, and then expect the reader to adopt them
as his own. None of us begin to have all of these
qualities, or any of them in perfection. But all of
us do have some sense of justice and fairness, are
possessed of a degree of manliness and self-control,
and can use our judgment and will power.
The point is to learn the value of our various
qualities, and to cultivate them by intelligent use.
We are all human—let us admit it and act accordingly.
And that would be a very good first step
toward success in leadership, for there is no other
one thing so often heard of a good leader from the
sincere lips of his admiring men as that "he is a
real human being." An appreciation of the meaning
of that fact alone should serve as an inspiration
and an excellent guide.
Many men of but mediocre ability have successfully
carried through one big job after another
simply because they had the faculty for inspiring
the loyalty, initiative and best endeavors of their
subordinates. Many others of stronger character and
higher mental attainments have failed to do so because
they failed to inspire, and even antagonized,
their subordinates. And while this seeming lack of
tact may have been due to natural deficiency, in nine
cases out of ten it was due to the fact that they had
accepted as their guide some old-time rule about
how to enforce discipline, or else that they had
never given thought to the subject of handling men
and realized its importance. It is not difficult to
learn how to avoid their mistakes, and to acquire
the art of those who know how to inspire the enthusiastic
efforts of others.
It is understood then that we are not discussing
the high qualities of the superman, or striving to
attain to the leadership of a Lincoln. It must also
be understood that not all these points will apply
to any one case of leadership, in which many of
them might be unreasonable. But all are based on
the same philosophy of human control, and are consistent
with the modern spirit of individualism
which has become a prime consideration. So as
you read something that may strike you as unreasonable
in the case you have in mind, give it fair
consideration as applicable to certain cases, and
weigh it as a means of adding to your comprehension
of the true spirit of leadership. You cannot
know too much about this in the general case. The
broader your knowledge and the better defined your
individual opinions, the better judgment you will
be able to bring to your particular problems. You
are the big factor. In the end it is going to be what
you believe and think and feel that is going to make
you successful or not. You will never win by
following any abstract rules you do not yourself
feel and live by.
Qualifying for Leadership.—Any man of native
character may fit himself to lead successfully. Hundreds
of thousands of young Americans thus fitted
themselves in the late war to lead their fellows as
officers, commissioned and non-commissioned.
Many had had no previous experience of command
to guide them, had never given a direction even to
a servant. Yet by application they rapidly learned
how to handle themselves more or less successfully
as leaders and their men as loyal followers. No
one expects perfection. All history records but one
Leader without fault. It is impracticable to follow
rules or to assume qualities that are not natural.
The thing to do is to realize that leadership may
be developed, to absorb its ordinary fundamentals
into your system, and to study yourself as applying
them to the problems of your position.
Your own personality is the one big thing for
you. Learn to appreciate its strong points and its
weak ones, its possibilities for doing the right thing
and the wrong, and its probable effect on others.
Get it well in hand through practicing self-control,
and make it work intelligently in accordance with
your wishes. You will make mistakes—the best
men do. The point is to have sense enough to
recognize the mistake, to correct it and try to avoid
repeating it. You watch yourself and you watch
others, asking in each case if the best thing was
done to get the desired result. There is generally
one best thing to say or do, and at least a dozen
wrong ones. The chances are largely in favor of
using the wrong one, but by giving it thought you
learn to pick the right until in the end it becomes
quite instinctive for you to do so. We can sum
it all up in just about this: that you begin to think
seriously about yourself in your job, and determine
that you are going to be natural, genuine, fair and
self-controlled; that you realize that your instruments
are human beings and that you have got to
control them through your own personality; and
that therefore you determine to study your personality
and your tools so you may use them intelligently.
Observation and personal application
of its results are the great things.
No two leaders may act exactly alike, for each
must use his own personality. One may be naturally
cold, short-spoken and stern, the other suave
and gentle, yet both be equally good leaders. But
when you analyze their treatment of their men you
will find that both observe the same fundamental
principles of justice, fairness and regard for their
individual development.
And as the personalities of leaders must differ,
so even more will those of the men. To control
them you must have a working knowledge of
human nature—for while all mankind respond
more or less alike to well-known instincts and habits,
there are times when you have to consider the individual.
Here is where observation, experience
and thinking about it prepare you to act intelligently.
As a good horseman soon comes to handle
a thoroughbred or a cold blood with equal assurance
and success, so the leader of men gets to know
instinctively what touch to give the reins or spurs
in order to get the result he wants. And if in
any given case you are not sure what to do, think
what would make you respond cheerfully if you
were in his place, and what would make you "buck."
Let this decide what you will do. It will generally
be the right thing, for at bottom we are all pretty
much the same.
Above all you must be genuine. You must use
the personality God gave you—only use it naturally
and with earnest purpose to play the game
fairly. If by nature you are gentle and tactful,
thank God, and do not try to be a bear, because you
have seen and admired some big burly man who
was a successful leader. The genuineness and
earnestness of your personal efforts to do the right
thing will go further than the best possible imitation
of some other, be he ever so good.
Self-Control.—You are probably shrinking from
the thought of taking yourself in hand in preparation
for leadership. But it is quite natural that
you should thus train yourselves, for self-control is
the one first step toward ability to control others.
And you will the more eagerly accomplish your
own self-discipline, as you observe human nature
and note the blessings of the man who is self-disciplined
and the curse both to himself and his fellows
of the man who is not. Those parents who
allow a child to grow up to manhood undisciplined
put a great burden upon the community in which
he is to move, and above all a great handicap upon
the man himself. Selfish, petulant, flaming into
passion at any opposition, egoism coloring everything
in life for him, he is a poor member of the
team in sport or business, and is more often tolerated
by his fellows than heartily welcomed. He
has many hard lessons to learn before he comes to
appreciate true values in the life about him, and
thus become a truly worth-while member of society.
Far from being fit to lead others, he is generally
the most difficult problem for the leader, who now
has to do the work that the parents should have
done in the man's childhood.
You may assume that you have the requisite
native character for leadership, or you would not
be in position to use it. It remains for you to prove
its worth and improve its natural qualities. You
will not do this by any grandstand plays, or even
by prayer. You will do it by continued thoughtfulness
in meeting the human problems of your position,
and by a discipline of self which will make
and keep you fit for your duties.
Consideration for Rights of Others.—It is a good
thing for any citizen to make himself realize that
he is part of a community whose members are entitled
to some consideration as well as himself.
This certainly is important for the man who is responsible
for the conduct of others. Everyone
hates a hog as a candidate for fellowship in sport,
business or community living. You see him elbowing
women and old men aside as he crowds himself to
the front at a ticket window; and so through a busy
day always jamming and trampling others to get
the best for himself. He gains a questionable satisfaction
for his swollen ego, but at the cost of
the scorn of his fellows who have thought enough
about life to realize that his type is a curse to community
living and far from desirable as a characteristic
of the race.
Put Yourself in His Place.—If you want to put
something over with a man you may take an ax
or a hammer and drive it into him—in which case
you leave him sore and rebellious—or by putting
yourself mentally in his place you may so express
yourself as to win his cheerful acquiescence—even
if, as may often happen, he does not end by thinking
he originated the idea himself. The latter
method is called being tactful—and compared to
the former gets tenfold results, not to mention adding
to the joy of life for all concerned. In presenting
an idea by this method you give your attention
to the form and manner in which you present
it, rather than concentrate all your thought on the
idea alone, let him take it as he will. It requires
only a bit of consideration of what are the probable
feelings and thoughts of the other, a realization
of his point of view and how you would feel in
his place. The leader who has won his promotion
from below has an advantage in having experienced
the point of view of his men. Yet he often throws
it away and exhibits a case of swollen head by
bellowing his "Hey you!" in absolute disregard of
the outraged feelings which he must know this
always engenders.
It is so much more efficient to be reasonably tactful—to
be considerate. To do it one may sacrifice
a bit of vainglory, may not appear to himself
and his fellows as such a lord of creation, but he
will get better results, make life more worth living
for all, and win for himself a place in the estimation
of others which may well return him tenfold
of advantage in some future contingency. It is
never the really big man whose arrogance hurts the
feelings of the less fortunate or forbids him to
show respect and consideration to each man who
does well his appointed task in no matter what
capacity. This arrogance is found rather in the
toad who is trying to make others think he is an
ox—and the humbler a man's station the more
likely he is to recognize a toad when he meets one,
and the more pain it causes him to have to bow to
its bovine pretensions.
Loyalty and Initiative.—We have seen how the
leader is responsible for developing these qualities
in his subordinates. He wins their loyalty to him
by gaining their admiration of the personal qualities
he displays; and their loyalty to the larger organization
and the cause, by his own example and by
timely comments. He develops their intelligent initiative
by the policy and methods he employs in
handling them in their work. He constantly encourages
individual effort, taking pains to commend
every display of interest, inventiveness, ingenuity,
or improvement. He keeps the group informed of
what it is trying to do as a whole, so each may understand
the object of his particular part and seek
opportunity to do it better. He tells the man what
to do, not how to do it, and praises whatever shows
original effort and decision. By constructive criticism
and explanation he encourages the man so that
he wants to do it better next time. In short he encourages
his men to observe, to think, to decide, and
to act on their decisions. So long as their spirit is
loyal, the best results come from such service, and
he must be patient in developing these faculties.
Development of the Men's Powers.—How
natural it is to be impatient with the man who is
bungling his early efforts. How often the master
grabs the thing and does it himself rather than
wait for inexperienced hands to find the way. The
parent says petulantly, "I'd rather do it myself than
see John struggling with it." The boss cares more
to have a certain thing done exactly as he would
do it than he does for all the good that might come
from the developed skill and resourcefulness of
his men. Of course these are all wrong. Your
way is not always the best way. One way is often
as good as another, and improvements come out
of the interested inventiveness of the worker. Your
object is to get the best efforts of your men, and
good work is not done in an atmosphere of humiliation
and discouragement. You must avoid the
natural display of temper at awkwardness and the
cutting remarks which indicate that you think the
man a hopeless idiot. If he really is that you have
a different problem and should avoid wasting your
time and that of the others in efforts to use him.
You are developing men and their powers. The
constructive and inventive instincts thrive in an atmosphere
of encouragement, and opportunity to employ
them keeps the worker cheerfully at his task.
You get a double reward from this system of control—the
satisfaction of seeing your subordinates
grow in ability under your hands, and the satisfaction
of increased output or accomplishment under
your management.
Popularity.—Should a leader strive for "popularity"
with his men? By all means, if he is man
enough to win it on his merits, for it is a large
element in establishing their loyalty. But it is very
easy for the beginner to have the wrong idea as
to how popularity is won. He must clearly understand
that it is not gained through easy-going
methods, overlooking faults and neglects, playing
favorites, sympathy with growling and kicking
about the way things have to be done, nor in any of
those things which go to undermine discipline and
morale. Such popularity is properly called cheap.
It takes no manliness to get it, it has no value once
you have it. Such leadership is worse than worthless,
it does actual damage. It will be exposed for
the sham it is by the first occasion for endurance,
by the first thing that comes to test the real grit
and ability of the group. Then one of two things
must happen—failure, or some better man will
jump out of the crowd, take the leadership from
these weak hands, and lead the men through the
emergency.
We have seen this illustrated often enough in the
army, where authority has held in his peacetime
position of leadership some weakling who faded
into the ranks in the actual tests of service, while
some strong quiet character stepped to the front and
successfully assumed the responsibilities of leadership.
It is the duty of all management to discover
and remove these weak leaders. It is equally the
duty of every leader to study himself and his
methods, and to make sure that both of them display
the qualities which will justify his holding the
leadership and will give it such character as to make
it proof against any emergency demands.
The popularity that counts, that makes men say
they would follow so-and-so through anything,
makes them brag about their chief and proud to
serve under him, is founded on admiration for his
real ability, confidence in his fairness and justice,
and in the courage and strength of his character.
He has won this popularity by being absolutely
fair and square to all, by seeing that both privileges
and extra hardships are equitably divided among
his men, by holding everyone to a strict performance
of duty, by reward of merit where due and
recognition of delinquency where it exists, by avoiding
anything like deceit or duplicity in his conduct
of office, by never appearing to ignore any of his
men as of no consequence in the group, by showing
a sincere personal interest in the welfare of his
men as individuals and above all by such use of
his own head in planning and forethought as to
save his men unnecessary work or trouble and yet
increase their efficiency, thus making them realize
that he really has the ability to lead them.
Appearance—As to Dignity.—The leader holds
his position on the assumption that out of the
whole group he is the best all-around man for the
job. He must retain this reputation for excellence,
and should add to it by further performance. First
of all in appearance—in how he carries himself before
his men. The nature of the work may determine
the amount of dignity which must go with the
office, but in every case there is a certain dignity
which all men must find in their leaders to which
they may instinctively give their respect. This is
just about the amount of dignity that comes naturally
from earnestness and sincerity of purpose.
It is not a virtue to be assumed, a superficial garment
to be put on for the work. It has nothing to
do with haughtiness or stiffness—unless it be an assumed
dignity which is often thus manifested. "It
comes simply from seeing things in their right proportion—big
things big, small things small," and
really has more of humility than of pride. It forbids
you to patronize your men, to appear to condescend
to them in your dealings, and it does admit
your sharing both their earnest concerns and their
fun. Professor Hocking says "To make a quick
transition from fun to business, and carry your men
with you instantly, is the test of real dignity. The
two opposites of dignity are permanent solemnity
and permanent triviality." Both have a bad effect
on humans.
As to Example.—Remember also in the matter
of appearance that you are an example. Imitation
is a great teacher—the sole teacher of our infancy,
not to be despised in our manhood. Your men are
going to be very much as you are—if you are really
their leader. Your example of cheerfulness,
promptness, loyalty to superiors, cleanliness, courtesy,
energy and interest, will find response in that
of the men. I have seen this carried to the extent
of copying the cut of the hair, the angle of the hat
and other personal peculiarities. The power of
example is a potent force, and very useful in establishing
loyalty.
An important example for you to give is one of
earnestness of purpose and interest in the work.
The accomplishment of the work must appear to be
a vital matter to you. Listlessness and indifference
on your part will be quickly reflected by the
men, while they will equally respond to a reasonable
amount of smartness and earnestness on your part.
You can imagine the amount of earnestness we
used to put into our English lessons at West Point
where we had an old instructor who closed his eyes
and dozed while each cadet recited. There was
great keenness to get into his classes but it stopped
there. You should appear to care so much for your
work that you are indifferent to the little things
that affect your own comfort. If the men see you
taking advantage of your position to enjoy comforts
denied to them it induces a state of mind that
interferes with good work. A good example of
this was the conduct of a captain of cavalry in the
Philippines who, being required to conduct drill
during the heat of the day, took up his position
under the shade of a solitary tree on the plain and
drilled his troop in a circle around him. That drill
did not add much to the excellence of the troop or
to their loyalty for the captain.
As to Ability.—Again you want to impress the
men as being one who knows at once what is to be
done in each case that arises, who makes quick decisions,
and who carries through what he has undertaken,
without changing his mind. We will discuss
this more in detail later, enough here to say
that by figuring out ahead of time all the details of a
certain undertaking and carefully planning for it,
you can carry it through with an apparent readiness
of decision and resource that will be surprising;
and a few such successes will establish your
reputation as an able leader.
Knowledge of Details.—Your position presupposes
that you know the work better than does any
other man in the group. Generally speaking you
should be able to do each man's part at least as well
as the man, able to know when he is working to best
advantage, able to recognize particularly good performance
to commend it, able to correct improper
methods and point the way to improvement. This
superior knowledge gives you the self-confidence to
appear before the men as their leader and to give
them instructions and orders which you know are
reasonable. The men instinctively feel and recognize
this superiority, and naturally give it respect
and obedience.
Of course no one man may reasonably claim to
know everything, nor to be more skillful in every
detail than certain specialists. This fact is frankly
recognized by all the group, and is used to stir the
pride of individuals in their particular superior performance,
and also as a reason for expecting all to
make suggestions for any improvements they may
have thought out.
Suggestions from the Men.—These suggestions
are to be really encouraged, and given fair consideration
when made. If accepted, credit is to be given
to the man, if rejected, he is to be told why it is not
found good. It is a mistake to feel that the leader
loses caste in accepting or even listening to suggestions
from his subordinates. "Nobody can tell
me how to run this job" is a narrow policy, destroying
individual initiative—and it is not true anyway.
The very statement shows that the leader does not
fully know his job, for everyone is capable of improvement,
and any job is better done for the combined
interest and resourcefulness of everyone connected
with it.
Prestige.—The leader loses none of his prestige
in hearing and considering the thoughts of his subordinates.
In the end the decision is his and on
that they all have to act. And it does not hurt his
leadership to have to say frankly "I don't know.
I'll have to look into that." If he finds that he has
taken a wrong course, it does not hurt even to admit
frankly that he was mistaken, especially if his
action has happened to do an injustice to one of his
men. Mistakes are readily forgiven, but not meanness
or injustice. Remember always that the men
admire manliness in their leader and demand
justice from him. These qualities are better than
infallibility, for after all they like to feel that you
are human. And above all they will not respect a
bluffer. It is hopeless to try to bluff when you
do not know. Someone will know and expose you,
and away goes the respect of your men.
Asking Men's Opinions.—I have known successful
leaders to make it a rule to ask, whenever one
of their men came to them with some question or
trouble, "What do you think about it? What would
you advise doing?" The man has generally been
thinking about this for some time before he presented
it. If it is a question about the work he has
probably in mind some solution which he thinks an
improvement and this is his way of getting it considered.
By thus asking his opinion you encourage
his personal interest in the general success, enlist
his co-operation, give opportunity for that self-expression
which means so much to every self-respecting
man, and not least of all you gain time for consideration
of your own answer while he is presenting
his. This is often a particularly good way to
handle the case of a man brought before you for
some dereliction of duty. Ask him what he would
do, if he were boss, with a man who had committed
the same offense. It is astonishing how this makes
him realize the whole situation, which he probably
had not thought of before, and nine times out of
ten he will suggest a more severe punishment than
you would give, and come out of the experience a
much more responsive member of the group than he
was before.
A Representative of Authority.—In any business
undertaking the immediate leader of a group is to
his men the direct representative of the authority
which holds them to their tasks; of the purpose and
policy which inspire their endeavors; and of the
management which directs the enterprise. These
men will largely get their impressions of the justice
and fairness of this authority from that displayed
by their leader; they will judge the worthiness of
its purpose and policy from his enthusiasm and
loyalty; and will estimate the efficiency of its management
by that which their leader daily displays.
Management considered all this when it selected
you as a leader, it is now for you to consider it constantly
in dealing with your men. The more
ignorant the man, the more nearly are you his sole
representative of these elements, and the more important
that you treat him fairly and wisely. He
may be a poor immigrant unable to understand our
language and wholly dependent on how your treatment
impresses him for his conceptions of the fairness
of our management and the worth of our industrial
life and institutions. It is up to you to
make him a contented useful laborer and happy
citizen—and not to drive him to the ranks of revolution
by making him believe that authority is unjust
and our institutions unworthy his loyalty.
The Head of the Family.—A good leader is
always a jealous guardian of the personal rights of
his men. It is only over his dead body that an injustice
is done to any of them or to his group as a
whole. He is their champion in every contact with
the larger organization, and they look up to him for
it. The group instinct is one of the strong self-protective
instincts. In the multitudinous groupings of
the modern community, the individual chooses
those groups which he believes offer him the best
protection and to them gives his loyalty. The leader
but takes advantage of this psychological fact when
he makes his men realize that he is constantly on the
lookout for their interests. He may row at them
himself (in a fatherly way), but he allows no one
else to do so. He sees that they get what is coming
to them. If hardship has to be borne, he sees that
it is borne justly, and shares it with them. If food
is short and shelter poor, as often happens on field
and engineering jobs, he does not rest until he has
exhausted every effort to improve them, and in
sharing them is very careful to show himself no
favor. He fights for their fair name, and for full
recognition of their merit. If one of his men has a
trouble, it becomes his trouble until it is adjusted.
He thus establishes the feeling that it is a family
matter, and that he is the head of the family. (Incidentally
he is sure to be rewarded, for the men
will soon be taking a keen interest in the welfare
of the head of their family.) And in the end the
men come to speak of it as "our" group—not
Smith's or Brown's but "our" gang, for each realizes
that his interests are equal in it with any
others. And until his men do thus speak of the outfit
as ours rather than his, the leader may know that
he has not yet got the co-operative spirit which he
desires.
The Group Spirit.—Any group of individuals
working together for a common purpose are going
to establish unconsciously a group spirit of some
kind. This has got to happen. The leader knows
that success largely depends on what this spirit shall
be, and takes pains to make it a helpful one. By
getting to know the men and "how they feel about
it," he keeps in close touch with the spirit that runs
through them all, and by suggestions here and there
he does much to build it up in the way it should go
and make the men feel a membership in his team.
When he has got to know this spirit well, he can
count on his men to respond in a certain way to certain
appeals or impulses, and he thus makes this
group spirit a tool in his hand for getting results. In
time of hardship or strain he plays on this spirit to
arouse new energy or endurance, and jaded muscles
spring anew to life, just as martial music will put renewed
life and spring into the lagging steps of tired
soldiers. Thus always spirit may make men endure
and dare and carry through far beyond the normal
accomplishment. Thus the thoroughbred will run
unfalteringly till his mighty heart breaks with the
strain, while there need be no fear of killing the
ambitionless cold bred, who slows down and quits
at the early warnings of fatigue.
So the good leader is constantly on the lookout
for means to build up this splendid spirit in his
group. By word and deed, and particularly by
thoughtful conduct of the work in hand, he fosters
the spirit of putting things across and never being
defeated, which is going to carry them through to
success when called upon. His men come to realize
that what he requires of them is always reasonable
and that it makes for efficiency; they find that he
is always considering their welfare before his own
and taking the greater pride in their success for the
team; and they come to realize that while he so
directs their work as to make it as interesting for
them as he can, he will never accept failure for
them or himself, but insist on carrying through to
successful accomplishment. It is possible thus to
establish so strong a group spirit for doing good
work and generally winning out that the men themselves
will get after the laggards and expose the
worthless for elimination as unfit for membership
in the team.
This Spirit Requires Efficiency.—Such results
are possible to the leader in direct proportion to his
knowledge of his job and his ability to conduct the
work with efficiency and without wasted time or
energy. Men naturally hate inefficiency. They become
critical, caustic in their remarks, and finally
disgusted under a leader who wastes their time and
efforts, who hesitates over decisions and wonders
whether to do this or that and how to do either,
who hasn't the tools and material right at hand,
who is always picking the wrong man for a piece of
work, and who holds up the work of all while he
fusses with the clumsy efforts of some "dub." Such
a leader will never build up any good spirit. That
comes only from the reverse of this picture of incompetence.
Work for the Leader.—But not all leaders may
be gods to be always right and sure in their management
of affairs. True, but by looking ahead,
by planning and preparing for each new task, by
headwork and overtime work, they can so fit themselves
for each task that they can carry their men
through it with such efficient direction that they will
seem to their men to be almost godlike. Of course
this means work for the leader. But the notion is
foolish that work grows less as one ascends the
ladder of promotion. In reality the leader who is
half as good as he should be in his position is generally
earning far more than his pay. His task is
no easy one. Ambition for accomplishment, pride
in success, joy of meeting manly responsibility, and
not that enjoyment of an easy berth which some assume
it to be, are the motives which hold the leader
to his job.
Where Leadership Really Shows.—As we watch
a skillful boss directing his men through a job, tools
and material all at hand, every man moving efficiently,
all the parts working smoothly toward the
result, how natural it is to exclaim, "What teamwork!"
and "What a leader!" But out of years of
experience I tell you that this leader seems so good,
not because God especially endowed him with skill,
but because he has previously sat down and planned
out how he was going to handle this especial job,
and because he took pains to see to it ahead of time
that everything was prepared for the work. His
superior leadership shows not in the work he is
here doing, but in the work he did beforehand in
building up the discipline and teamwork of his men
and in making preparation for handling this especial
job efficiently. That is why he may now appear
so quietly sure of himself and his men, and that is
the real task for leadership—fitting self, men, and
team ahead of time so they may work smoothly to
the best advantage without waste or friction.
Assuring the Confidence of the Men.—It is a
common fault of leaders to take too much for
granted and assume that men understand conditions
without bothering to explain them. Remember
that a man cannot give good work if his mind
is harboring fear, distrust, or even questionings as
to his rights, his duties or his assurance of receiving
impartial justice and fair dealing. Confidence and
a knowledge of the conditions under which he
works will keep his mind free from these disturbing
invaders. Instead of assuring this mental freedom,
many leaders are so poor as positively to inject fear
and anxiety. Perhaps nothing can do more to free
his mind at once for useful impulses than to provide
him with printed rules and regulations which
clearly define the policy of the undertaking as regards
administration and control; the rights, duties
and mutual relations of its members; and particularly
the method by which each may secure immediate
consideration by superior authority in case
of real or fancied invasion of his right to justice
and impartial treatment. We all know that in industry
the man's distrust of the impartiality and
honesty of his boss is often justified, and we can see
the advantages of letting the man know his rights
and giving him easy sure access to higher authority.
The vastness of modern organizations has too often
made management forget its responsibility in the
matter of discipline and fair treatment among its
employees. These laborers find themselves to-day
in a case not unlike that of our forefathers who had
to force from their tyrant king a written acknowledgement
of their rights—yet rights so simple and
fundamental as would seem to go without saying,
and to require safeguarding only from a selfish,
unfeeling brute. To none will we sell, to none will
we deny or delay, right or justice may well be borrowed
from Magna Charta and published as a
fundamental rule for the interior administration of
many modern enterprises.
Assuring Justice.—The possession of authority
makes a wise man consider the rights of others, lest
he do a grave injustice. It is likely to have a far
different effect on a man of narrow soul and intellect.
He often becomes selfish, mean and arrogant,
indifferent to the feelings and rights of others,
partial to favorites whom he chooses for selfish
reasons. He thus denies justice and forfeits his
right to leadership. Such men as bosses in industry
are often the cause of serious labor troubles, and
are always the cause of reduced production. By
deceit and duplicity they may long conceal these
qualities from higher authority, while they continue
to negative the most humane policies of management.
For this reason, when troubles show in any
group of men, first seek the source in the defective
leadership of their boss. It is for this same reason
that successful management finds means to check up
the methods of its subordinates, and has it clearly
understood by all that every man has ready access
to higher authority for the presentation of any
grievance.
Joy of Doing Work Well.—A man naturally
takes real delight in doing a piece of work well, in
the successful play of his constructive instincts.
He gets an actual pleasure from doing well whatever
he puts his hand to. This was another of
Nature's wise endowments when she determined
that man should be her main instrument for progress
in the world. Whatever a man is doing in an
agreeable frame of mind, he finds himself naturally
striving for perfection—the farmer looks back with
pleasurable reward to see that he has turned a clean,
straight furrow, the carpenter and mechanic get an
inward glow from the perfect fitting of a joint, and
it was not poetic fancy which made David Grey
take such delight in digging that drainage ditch
under a hot summer sun. These joys from fine
execution of work are the result of a natural instinct,
and form one of the best means for getting
results if the leader knows how to use them.
When you see a man taking no interest in his
work and not trying to get good results, perhaps
even purposely doing poor work, you may be sure
that something is fundamentally wrong. Some
stronger instinct has been aroused whose force forbids
the operation of this happy one for construction.
Our strongest instincts are those which regard
our self-protection, and one of these may be
causing the trouble. If conditions are such as to
make the man fearful of his welfare, of his livelihood
or of injustice, contrary instincts are likely to
overcome or at least confuse the instinct to do well.
So we may expect superior results only under a
system which assures fairness and justice, and under
a leader who honestly practices them.
The Curse of Conscious Deadbeating.—A common
complaint of labor is that the end of work
finds the man too tired to do anything else that day.
This is true, however, not because of the amount of
work he has done but because of the small amount
of interest and ambition which he has been allowed
to put into it. Man is so designed that he is happiest
in doing hard work and good work if he may
but take the right spirit to it. This is the curse of
the lack of trust between employer and employees,
and the consequent labor union policies which deny
to their members the privilege of giving full play to
their constructive instincts. These policies establish
a standard of mediocrity, and thus do daily
violence to the character of those capable ambitious
men who, instead of being free to give their best,
are thus forced to work consciously as "deadbeats."
No wonder that these men are tired at night and
that they have no heart for outside interests. They
are working in a spirit which saps their manhood
and injures their self-respect as members of the
community. You may see this evidenced in their
hang-dog faces as they "soldier" on their jobs.
Nothing but honest belief in the necessity for this
policy of loafing could hold them loyal to it. Even
this will not always do it; for men often become
more interested in the success of "their business,"
their undertaking, than they are for the time being
in the observance of union regulations. When no
particular danger threatens or issue is at stake, a
clever boss may so appeal to the constructive instincts
as to make them dominate the self-protective
ones.
Public opinion is likely to play an important part
in the above question. The community is interested
in anything which so materially affects the character
of its citizens and the output of its industries.
It may come to a decision; and demand certain
action which it believes will correct a situation it
finds so injurious. And it may do this without a
true conception of the facts, so that its dictum is
as likely to offend the best interests of the laborer
as of the employer. Far better that the leaders of
both should themselves solve their common problem
for their own common interest—and many
have done this.
This question must be a serious consideration for
leaders of labor. For only that leadership can last
which makes for progress. Its purpose must be
clear and honest, and must satisfy the constructive
instincts. Otherwise its following will fall away, to
seek some other which offers this satisfaction.
Appeals to passion and prejudice will carry men a
long way in a short time, but sooner or later comes
the time for serious thinking. Then these men
must be convinced that their course makes for progress
and greater ultimate good. And unless the
leadership has had a broad vision based on realities,
they will discover its fallacy or selfishness, and so
abandon it.
Depending on a Man.—You can make a man feel
so strongly that you are trusting him to play fair in
a certain matter, "put it up to him" in such a way,
that his sense of manhood and good sportsmanship
will make him feel that he owes it to you to make
good. This is a strong influence on conduct—too
strong to be used constantly. It may easily become
burdensome to ordinary mortals, who generally
want more freedom from the promptings of conscience.
The point is to use it only in special cases,
and thus get its good effect both in results obtained
and on the man's character. When you do use it,
do so quite naturally and easily without too much
fuss or talking, and certainly without formally
"putting him on his honor." There should be no
apparent question of your confidence being justified—it
is so sure that you do not have to talk about it.
Here is an illustration: I found in my command at
Camp Grant a husky soldier who was a prisoner
serving a three months sentence, and considered a
surly, insubordinate brute who would never be disciplined.
Soon thereafter his major brought him to
me with a most unusual request for authority to let
the man go to Chicago to be with his wife during a
serious operation. The man stated his case—too
proud and obstinate to ask any favors. I discovered
that he felt that his first punishment had been
a rank injustice, and that he had thereafter been so
sore as willfully to defy authority. I asked how
long he would need to be in Chicago—he did not
know. I took the chance and authorized the major
to let him go in perfect freedom and stay as long
as the man found necessary. He was back long before
we expected him and in an entirely new frame
of mind. He soon had the remainder of his sentence
remitted for good behavior, and before we
left for France he had become a non-commissioned
officer and one of the best subordinate leaders for
arousing loyal service. Another good citizen made—or
at least saved from the hell he was driving
into. If he survived the war he is to-day proud of
the service he once hated for its injustice—and
some day no doubt he will be championing his
major for mayor of the city.
Proprietorship and Self-Expression.—Other
strong instincts which the leader should take advantage
of are those of proprietorship and of self-expression.
To get the full benefit of his instinct
to do his work well, the man should be made to feel
that he has a personal interest in this job that he is
doing, and that in actually doing it he is using his
own skill, resourcefulness and inventiveness. So
the leader watches for the chance, and drops a remark
to show that he sees how well the man has
done some step he has taken, and no harm if others
overhear the remark! The leader is equally careful
to speak of it as Smith's job, to praise the way
Smith handled it, to commend the excellent condition
of Smith's tools, and thus by rewarding
Smith's little success and making it appear to be
the result of his individual work on his own job
with his own machine or tools, he encourages in all
the feeling that each is doing his own work in his
own way and will get credit accordingly.
It is also well to remember that these same constructive
instincts in the men have another meaning
for you as their leader. They will cause the men to
resent it when they find themselves doing useless
work, wasting energy and even approaching failure
as a result of your poor judgment, hesitation in
making decisions, and blundering through lack of
forethought. This makes you see the necessity for
knowing your job, and carefully preparing yourself
to handle its details.
Knowing the Purpose of Work.—Human nature
demands that before men can put their best efforts
into work they must know the object of it. Purpose
is the big guiding motive in all life, and we
are so made that we seek for the purpose in all our
efforts, and finding it and believing in it, we naturally
give it our best endeavors. It is stated that one
of the three greatest faults in handling labor to-day
is the fact that the men do not know what they
are doing, or why. Yet it is plain that a man must
have some interest in his task before he can put
much heart or intelligence into it. It is quite possible
in assigning a task to make sure that the man
understands the object of it, what part it is and
its importance in the general work of the team.
Then no matter how prosaic this part may be, as
the man works he may build a mental picture of the
completed whole, see his part fitting into it, and
employ his constructive instincts in making his part
perfect. Meanwhile, the necessity of thus clearly
defining the object of the work to the man reacts
advantageously on the leader. It requires him to
have a clear conception of this object, and thus enables
him to hew truer to the line in carrying on the
work.
To illustrate the value of knowing why, imagine
two men each for a different day carrying buckets
of water from a stream to dump into a tank on a
near hilltop. One knows that every drop of this
water is precious for the necessary irrigation of a
garden he can see beyond the hill; the other has no
idea why the water is carried—someone may be trying
to dry up the stream for all he knows. Not only
would the former carry more water, but he would
take more pleasure in his work and be trying to invent
some means for increasing the amount transported;
and when night came he would be far less
tired. This illustrates a truth which applies to all
human activities, and it is the leader's job to take
advantage of it for the good effect it will have on
his men and on the work to be accomplished.
In starting any new work, new undertaking, or
new policy, the one most efficient thing to do is to
assemble the whole group of men concerned and
explain to them what you and they together are
going to try to do; how they are organized for it,
and the part each is to take; and finally such a picture
of the whole to be accomplished as may serve
as an inspiration, or at least appeal to their reason.
Do not let it ever be said of your men that they are
working in ignorance of what they are trying to do,
and thus debarred from putting intelligent interest
and co-operation into their respective parts.
Relationship Between Leader and Men.—The relationship
which should exist between the leader
and his men is a difficult thing to explain accurately.
It depends largely on the leader's personality, and
accordingly each must work this out for himself.
This is almost always a matter of difficulty and embarrassment
for beginners, who are apt to go to an
unhappy extreme either in surrounding themselves
with an atmosphere of isolation and autocracy or
in showing too much familiarity and even frivolity.
Let them first remember that the leader is not an
autocrat or dictator, but the foremost of his companions.
This position puts responsibility and
authority in his hands, and a certain restraint on
the perfect freedom of his relations with the others.
He may still be called by his first name in perfect
good fellowship; may be even affectionately nick-named;
may and should be in relations of mutual
and absolutely impartial friendship and confidence
with his men; yet there must remain in reserve a
something of superiority and true dignity which
they recognize and which makes it natural for them
to respect him and obey his instructions. He may
be intimate, but must not be familiar. He should
be courteous and thoughtful for their interests, but
must never be patronizing.
You will notice if you take pains to observe, that
a real gentleman or lady is always courteous to
those in subordinate positions. The real superior
has no anxiety about his prestige and is quietly at
ease in dealing with subordinates. Those who bully
them are thus showing that they have not had long
experience in exercising authority. The true spirit
of America believes in the dignity of labor. Our
nation was built in the actual sweat of our forebears,
who hewed the forests and tilled the soil with
their own hands and did not attempt to enslave the
labor of the natives as did the pioneers who colonized
the countries further south. That spirit survives
and makes it natural for us to respect those
who do their parts well in whatever activity fortune
has placed them. So the leader and his men, the
employer and the laborer, are all companions in
labor, and each shows respect for the ability and
accomplishment of the other.
That is the spirit of the relationship between
leader and men by which he is to regulate his conduct.
You can see how this spirit is sure to be
offended by anything like patronizing or exhibitions
of either pompous authority or childish familiarity.
Both men and leader are each entitled to the serious
consideration of the other, and to respect in direct
proportion to the ability each shows in performing
his own part on the team; and each will be judged
by this test. As an officer in one of the new war
organizations put it to his men in explaining the
spirit he sought in training, "We are all on the same
team. It happens that I am in the pitcher's box
now, but some day each one of us will have to come
to the bat."
Reception of New Men.—The ultimate success
of a new man joining an outfit depends of course
on the real stuff that is in him. But much can be
done to hasten this success. It has been the practice
of the ages to haze the newcomer, and thus bring
out this real stuff if it is there. But this is not
approved in modern practice, which aims to get
good results quicker through encouragement and by
showing him how rather than baffing him on the
head with a marlin spike for not knowing. Both
schools of training have their adherents, and youth—excepting
the hazee—is generally in favor of
hazing. There is something to be said in favor of
enough judicious hazing to remove any tendencies
toward "freshness" which might interfere with the
new man's progress, and enough to implant in him
an appreciation of the seriousness of life where that
is lacking. But the difficulty is to make the hazing
judicious—to avoid overdoing it, or doing it where
not needed.
So this becomes another care for the leader, who
must see that each new man gets the right start if
possible. You can be sure that most new men want
to make good. Encourage them along that line and
try to prevent the occurrence of anything which
will switch them to the other track. To most of
them an early exhibition of your friendly personal
interest in how they are coming on will be a great
help and incentive to better work. There will be
many things that they do not understand, and some
real or fancied troubles. This is your chance to
establish a relation of confidence in which they
form the habit of bringing these troubles to you for
solution, instead of letting them rankle in their
minds and act as deterrents to the good impulses
for work. This gives you many opportunities for
improving the group spirit and may some day be the
means of clearing up real grievances which might
otherwise lead to serious trouble.
The man's future depends largely on the start he
gets, on his first impressions of the spirit and policies
of the outfit, and on the habits he personally
forms. The smarter he finds the outfit to be, the
more pride he will take in belonging to it. The
closer attention he is forced to give to the exact
performance of little details the sooner he will get
the habit of doing things exactly right, and the
sooner he will become a helpful member of the
team. You can teach new tricks to new men much
more easily than you can to old ones, whose well-formed
habits you must break before you can implant
the new ones. New men are a valuable asset
to a live leader, for he can come nearer making
them the kind of men he wants.
Take Time to Hear Men.—The leader must have
time to listen to his men. He must not be too busy
to take up this matter or that which anyone of
them may properly bring to him for consideration.
It is easy to look important and say "I haven't got
time," but each time the leader does it he drives
one more nail in the coffin of the team spirit whose
life he should really be cherishing. The chances
are that he declines the interview because he fears
that he does not know the answer. But it is far
better to take that chance, make the man feel that
he was right in coming to you, and listen to his
proposition, even if in the end you have to admit
that you do not know. You must "have time," if
you want the loyal co-operation of your subordinates.
I know an officer who took charge of and
straightened out a tangled organization in Paris,
and the first thing he did was to tack outside his
office door, "I have got time to hear you." It is
much harder to get your subordinates to give you
the frank timely expressions you need, than it is to
avoid being bothered by too many of them.
The busiest leader can and should so arrange his
affairs and his policy that every subordinate may
know that he may personally see the chief if the occasion
warrants. In the midst of all the cares of
building the Panama Canal, General Goethals still
set aside one morning each week for his men; and
among all those thousands of employees every
Jamaican and Hottentot had the comfort during
the week of knowing he could see the big boss in
person on Sunday. His gang boss also knew that
the Hottentot could go to see the general, which
had a salutary effect on his methods—so in the end
not so many actually went after all. Let everyone
know that anyone having troubles is to bring them
direct to you and the troubles will rapidly diminish,
and your time be well repaid in added efficiency.
Talking to Men.—There is much for the leader
to consider in the matter of talking to his subordinates.
He may not talk enough, or he may talk
too much. He must explain to all the object, organization,
and policy of any new undertaking. He
thus gets better results and saves a lot of talking
later. On the other hand a reputation for constantly
"sounding off" as they say on the street and
especially for preaching, would practically ruin him.
A leader should observe the rule not to talk unless
he has something worth saying, and that nothing is
worth saying unless it is worth being listened to.
The habit of talking without demanding the close
attention of those supposed to be interested is bad
business, and makes trouble and misunderstandings
later. Yet many leaders are guilty of it, and expect
to repeat their instructions over and over before
they are understood. This is partly their fault and
partly that of the listeners—but the leaders are responsible
for both. In the first place the leader
must talk directly to the point. If he has not this
ability, he must self train in it, which he may daily
do to advantage, both at home and abroad. Let
him first think what he has to say, even exactly how
he is going to say it—then say it and stop. He will
not talk as much, but it will go farther. There are
many men so unaccustomed to saying things which
really count, that they become embarrassed and
confused when they find themselves the object of
close attention. Yet the leader must meet this, for
holding the close attention of the men is the second
and equally important part of his responsibility in
talking successfully.
Demanding Attention of All.—When you have
anything to say, to one man or to many, get full
attention first, and insist on having it while you are
talking. We so often see the impossible situation
of a leader making remarks which he considers important
and the men of his group plainly giving attention
to other matters, even engaging in side conversations.
When you have to talk to a number of
men, call them all about you, in front of you where
you can see all their faces, and as near you as practicable
so you may speak if possible in a conversational
tone. You will have to give this constant
attention, for the devil prompts some men always
to slip around behind you, while others always take
the most distant seats and await the Biblical invitation
to come forward. With the men thus before
you, you can now make sure that your points tell.
If an interruption occurs, immediately stop talking
until all can give attention again. If your remarks
are for everybody, everybody should hear them,
and you are responsible that they do. Make that a
rule, stick to it yourself, and you should have no
trouble.
Talking to Individuals.—In talking to an individual,
try to be so clear and definite that you will not
have to repeat, and let it be understood that you
expect such attention from him that repetition will
not be necessary. Of course, you sometimes have
to deal with a mind so untrained in concentration
that it cannot take things in and retain them, and
you will have to be patient in making yourself understood.
The meanest type of mind is that which
keeps thinking, while you are talking, of what it
is going to say when it gets a chance, and gives
your remarks just enough attention to note when a
pause comes so it may begin to talk. This kind of
man is a curse in any walk of life, and not to be
tolerated in business. The art of listening is a valuable
one. Everyone should cultivate the habit
of concentrated attention to what is being said, if
it means anything to him. It is particularly valuable
in receiving instructions, and promotion is more
likely to come to one of whom his superior can report
that "He gives his full attention when you tell
him anything, and you never have to repeat."
Example Better Than Talk.—In the line of not
talking too much, it is well to remember that American
spirit is not aroused by Napoleonic addresses
before the fight. If the leader wants keenness and
enthusiasm in doing a piece of work, he arouses
them rather by example than by words. It is here
that actions speak louder than words. You cannot
put your men "on their toes" by telling them that
you want them there. You must bring the "follow
me" spirit to the work, and put so much cheerful
energy and vitality into it that your spirit is contagious.
By keen direction, happy suggestion, possibly
a bit of competition, and most of all by example
you put your men on their toes unconsciously,
and hold them there till the task is done. Then you
may all talk about how good it was, and share the
credit.
Proper Subjects for Talk.—On the other hand
there are things that you must talk about. Your
subordinates must understand your methods and
policies, for you want their co-operation in carrying
them out. Remember that while you are dealing
with intelligent men, they still are not wizards to be
able to divine your thoughts. So do not assume a
manner of aloofness and superiority, or wrap yourself
and the work in an atmosphere of mystery.
Explain in frank, homely, man-to-man talks what
you are getting at and how you intend to get at it.
The atmosphere you want is one of mutual understanding
and confidence. You get it, however, not
by saying you have it, but by showing that you have
it in the way you treat the men.
Another subject for you to explain is the spirit of
discipline, its objects and its necessity. Many men
have never thought about it, never realized the
necessity for obedience and the advantages of
cheerful obedience, never heard of teamwork or
thought of loyalty to comrades. As occasions arise
you can explain these things in a way to make them
interesting and very real influences on the men's
conduct. In this way you may do much toward
building up the group spirit you want. In a given
case of violation of rules or dereliction of duty it is
often possible to explain to all your men how this
offense damages the discipline and reputation of the
group, and thus get better results than you would
from inflicting punishment.
You should also take occasion from time to time
to explain the affairs of the larger organization, to
tell the men what it is trying to do and how it is
getting on with it. Tell them anything to increase
their knowledge of the whole scheme and their interest
in its success, for both these add to loyalty
and morale. You want the men to have the stimulation
that comes from a live interest in the general
result, so keep "the cards on the table," and
make the men participants with you in the developments
of the work. We Americans are all "from
Missouri," and need to be shown. But when we
once understand what is wanted, we jump in
heartily and put it over.
Talks by the Big Chief.—The head of any organization
will get far better results if he will make
occasions for assembling all his subordinate leaders
in a body and talking to them of his policies, his
plans, and of how things are going in general. The
day has passed when the source of authority is supposed
to be clothed in awe-inspiring majesty, whence
issue commands for servile obedience. That chief
who denies close relationship to his subordinate
leaders, who does not take them into his confidence
and let them know his plans and how he proposes
to carry them out, creates to-day the suspicion
either that he is not sure of himself in his job or
that his plans and purposes will not bear the light.
The big man does not fear close scrutiny and does
seek co-operation and suggestion. The successful
business head to-day makes himself the captain of a
team whose members co-operate intelligently for
the team's success. For this purpose he brings them
together in a body where shoulder to shoulder they
feel their comradeship in a common cause; where
they all get the inspiration of their captain's personal
leadership, and absorb enthusiasm from his
personal presentation of his hopes and plans. All
are thus filled with a common purpose and return to
their tasks each better fitted and more highly determined
to play his part to the best advantage of
the larger organization. Thus the most successful
American commanders, like General Summerall,
took time and pains to go about before a battle and
explain in person to assembled groups of their commands
the general plan of the coming action and
the exact part this particular group was to play.
There was no effort at oratorical appeal to passion
or patriotism, simply a recognition of the American's
ability and willingness to do his full part if
he only knows what it is. It never failed to work,
and it will work as well in civil affairs.
Mutual Acquaintance Among Subordinates.—Another
important thing is to get these subordinates
together in such a way that they will get to know
each other personally. They are really partners in
the same enterprise, and a knowledge of each
other's personal equations is quite indispensable to
their successful teamwork. Personal acquaintance
and even better, friendship, will add tremendously
to their efficiency. The various departments of an
organization are more or less interdependent, and
Smith will give quicker and better attention to the
needs of Jones if he knows him and especially if he
thinks him a good fellow. Thus in battle the covering
fire of the artillery is far more efficient when its
commander knows that his friend Bill is out there
commanding the infantry. Therefore army control
takes pains to bring those two commanders into
personal relationship before the battle. So in business
the head should make occasions for getting his
subordinates together in friendly personal relations.
They will be pleased to find that they all speak
pretty much the same language, though some may
not have thought so before. This closer association
removes the affectation of some and the extreme
humility of others, and exposes them all for what
they really are, fellow members of the same purpose;
equally sincere in striving for its success, and
equally to be judged on their sole merits of performance.
This has been tried out successfully in
many industrial enterprises, with happy surprise
for the holier-than-thou skeptics. It is sure to be of
advantage if the management goes into it with sincerity
of purpose.
Supervision of Workers.—It is plain that the
leader's job is one of supervision and direction. It
is his business to see that each member of the team
does his part to the best advantage for the general
result, and so to know the individual capacities of
his men that he can assign the right man to each
task. This, as in fact do all the other duties of
leadership, requires him to be continually watching
the individual performances of his men, commending,
correcting, and co-ordinating their efforts.
This forbids his actually taking part in the work
himself, not because to do so would be beneath his
dignity, but because to become involved in doing
the actual work would distract his attention from
the duties of supervision, and many things would
be going on without his knowledge. If the boss
shows himself anxious to use the pick or shovel,
there is always some man willing to lend him the
tools and watch his efforts with assumed interest.
I recall the case of an officer charged with building
a piece of government road in the mountains of
California. No one could have been more faithful,
he set a wonderful example of energy, but expended
it all on personally working the road plow.
Meantime the contractor was putting in blind culverts
and otherwise so slighting his work that most
of the road slid down the mountain that winter.
There are always some members of the team who
need to be held up to their work. For the leader to
allow them to "get away with it" in shirking their
parts of the task, would naturally cause chagrin to
the others. The leader is responsible for the spirit
of teamwork, which requires that each man may
feel sure that all the others are equally faithful in
doing each his part, and he must therefore see to it
that they are. Of course conditions may arise, as
when the task is unfamiliar or peculiarly difficult,
when the leader may jump in for a minute to show
the men how or to set the pace—but he should
never put himself in as an actual performer of the
work.
Choosing Men for Tasks.—The duties of a leader
constantly require him to be picking some man to
do this task or that. In the minds of his men this
is always a test of both his ability and fairness—and
he wants to prove that he has both. He does
this by picking the right man for the job—the
right man not alone because he is the best qualified
but because everything considered it is best for the
team that he be chosen. This requires that the
leader know their capacities and their spirit, and
that he shall have kept general track of their conduct
and work. Each group generally has certain
cheerful, willing souls who seem almost to invite
the task. The leader who is not sure his orders will
be obeyed will always pick one of these men to
avoid the possibility of disobedience. The shiftless
leader will pick one because it is the easiest course.
Both would be wrong. They would thus fail in
fairness, and, by putting extra work on the more
willing, put a premium on being mean spirited and
so injure the group discipline. They would do better
to choose the lazy or sullen ones for the extra
work, thus putting the premium on cheerfulness,
and showing that they had a sense of justice and an
ability to run the team.
Cheerfulness, a Responsibility.—It is plain that
men cannot do good work in an atmosphere of
gloom. In fact in happy Burma, "The Land of
Mandalay," the people refuse to work at all unless
things are cheerful; and the best labor boss there
is he who can crack the most jokes and keep his men
chuckling. That has its application even in handling
stoical Anglo-Saxons—"Angry Saxons" as one of
our colored soldiers called it. Elastic muscles, alert
minds, superior energy and endurance come from
cheerful spirits and happy hearts. That group is
unfortunate which does not contain at least one indomitable
soul (generally Irish) who will joke and
jolly the crowd along through hardships and to far
greater accomplishment. You know why the bo's'n
always leads the sailors in a swinging song or in
cheering as they haul the heavy sheet. He puts this
spirit into them for the greater exertions they will
make. One group of marching soldiers will sing
and joke themselves happily into camp, when other
grim and silent ones will barely drag themselves in
for their fatigue. Yet true as all this is there are
leaders who sacrifice it by such surly, inconsiderate,
dominating control as to keep their men sore and
heavy-hearted, discouraged with themselves and the
work, and indifferent to results. These leaders
create an atmosphere of impenetrable gloom, and
then expect the impossible in demanding good
work. Cheerfulness and hopefulness must always
emanate from the leader—no possible hardship or
obstacle may justify his failing to radiate these
helpful qualities. They shine out from a character
too strong and resourceful to be overcome by any
obstacle, too confident of the excellence of his men
and their ability to overcome it to be other than
cheerful in meeting it. You will find occasions
when it will test your own courage, physical fitness
and vitality to do this; for you must give of your
spirit to put spirit into the men, and by the sheer
force of your cheerful dominance over the adversity,
lead them through to a happy conclusion.
Growling Permissible.—As to growling and
"kicking agin the government," it all depends on
who does it and how he does it. A certain amount
of thus letting off steam seems good for the soul of
man—and so far should not be denied to your men.
You may ignore it, make light of it, and even sometimes
get a good laugh out of it and so clear the
atmosphere. It is doubtful if you may ever indulge
yourself in it in the hearing of the men. And if it
smack of real disloyalty, then you may not tolerate
it, for it will undermine their morale, and injure
that determined spirit of putting things over at all
costs. You must know your men so you may use
good sense about taking their vaporings too seriously,
and still prevent anything like real disloyalty.
As members of a group men lose much of their
individual responsibility and become more or less
like children. You consider this in judging their
real feelings as they talk together.
I recall the case of a French lieutenant whose
platoon, just out of a severe fight, was ordered to
go back into it in fifteen minutes. He sat complacently
smoking while his resting men audibly
growled about it and told each other the dire things
that would take place before they would go in
again. He knew his men and let them growl it out,
and when the time was up not one of them hesitated
to obey his order to fall in and swing back into the
fight. In his place a hot-headed youngster could
easily have started a mutiny. And equally true, a
few vicious disloyal spirits among those men would
have made it wrong for the lieutenant to have allowed
them to growl and threaten. Such situations
require a level head and a knowledge of the true
spirit of the men—and are interesting tests of one's
qualifications as a leader.
Loyalty by Example.—One of the basic things
the leader has to develop in his men is loyalty—and
loyalty not alone to him and to the team, but to the
larger organization. To this end he may do much
by the power of his own example in cheerfully carrying
out the instructions from higher authority.
If you are told to do some disagreeable thing, do
not try for cheap popularity by saying to the men
"so and so has ordered this, and we have got to do
it." Accept the full responsibility of your subordinate
office, and take your men loyally and unquestioningly
through the work. Your team is a member
of the larger team, and should play its part
therein as loyally and keenly as you want the individuals
to play their parts in your team. You
should try to arouse their pride in having their team
do its part well, their interest in the success of the
larger team, and their belief in the ability of its
leader.
When to Question Instructions.—Any questioning
before your men of the wisdom of instructions
from higher authority, any grumbling from you
about their unfairness, would injure this fine spirit
of loyalty and of co-operation in the larger team.
It would show you up as unworthy of your responsible
position in the organization and thus hurt the
men's respect for you. If you have an honest question
of the fairness or wisdom of the instructions
go to higher authority first and fight it out yourself
in the interests of your men, without any question
of loyalty. That is part of your business both as
guardian of your men's welfare, and as a loyal
member of the larger organization. It is a delicate
matter, involving your own sense of subordination,
and your judgment as to what is really best. It can
never be done in a spirit of brag or bluster, but only
quietly in a spirit of loyalty, true subordination, and
desire for the best interests of the whole. Occasions
for such action are happily very rare—if your
larger organization is in reasonably good hands.
Receiving Instructions.—When you receive instructions
from higher authority be sure you get
their true meaning before you begin to act. The
subordinate with the quick, cheerful, "Yes, sir,"
and away to the task, leaves a pleasant sensation
until we discover that he has bungled the job because
he did not half understand what we wanted.
Take time to understand, but do not quibble about
little details nor fuss about the way in which the
instructions are expressed. You are expected to
use your own sense and ingenuity in executing
these instructions, so be sure that you have grasped
their spirit and purpose, and then go to their execution
with an enthusiasm and loyalty which will
carry the same spirit to the men.
How to Encourage Suggestions.—We have
spoken of the value of encouraging subordinates
to make suggestions for improvements, etc., of how
they may add to the general efficiency, and how
they certainly increase the man's pleasure in his
work and thus his personal efficiency through giving
play to his constructive instincts and his natural
desire for self-expression. The point now is how
these suggestions are to be encouraged. Certainly
not by superficial methods. For example, an organization
which had accepted the idea of the value
of suggestions from the men tried simply to buy
them off-hand by inaugurating a bi-weekly prize
rewarding contest in giving suggestions. It was
their notion that for a prize of five dollars some
employee was going to tell them how to make two
blades of grass grow in place of one. This method
missed all appreciation of the fundamental principles
involved and of course ended in a farce.
These suggestions we want spring naturally from
the interest and partnership you have made the men
feel in the organization; from the ideas for improvement
which they then evolve as they carry on
at their work, thinking how it might be done better
or how the team might get bigger results. The
only encouragement they need is first this atmosphere
of partnership; and second, a boss who has
sense enough to give their suggestions fair consideration.
The leader who has not the time or
patience to listen to suggestions can never get the
best efforts of the men, and is doing the enterprise
real damage.
Every man should feel sure that his suggestion
will be fairly considered and, if his idea has real
value, that he will be given full credit all the way
up the line to the big chief. And the way to do
this is to take the man in person to higher authority
and have him personally explain his idea. This
makes very real to him and his fellows his importance
as a member of the team. If in a big business
concern the man were actually called before
the board of directors to explain the details of some
improvement he had thought out, nothing could do
more to establish a sense of partnership in the undertaking.
Appreciating their value, you can make
as much as you will of every opportunity thus to
increase the men's interest in the work and their
sense of co-operation.
Advantage of Ambition.—Ambition for advancement
is another of the human instincts to be considered
by the leader both in connection with his
own career and in handling his subordinates. Every
one should feel that he may progress as far as his
actual ability warrants—and he certainly may, for
good leaders are still rare and to be desired and the
truest saying of life is that there is plenty of room
at the top. But subordinates must realize that
selfish ambition cannot win, that it is only by playing
for the team and working for the best interests
of the whole outfit that one can win his superior's
recommendation for promotion. The unselfish
ambition of an individual thus improves both
his chances for promotion and the work of the
team. Industrial progress and individual promotion
both spring from individual effort to increase
output or to decrease expenditure of energy. It is
generally true throughout industry that "the great
stream of intelligence, inventiveness and adaptation
flows from the bottom up and not from the top
down, and that the top is continually being recruited
from the bottom," as employers daily graduate from
the classes of laborers. This latter is so common a
fact that it is frequently overlooked. It is so wholesome
a fact, so characteristic of our democratic institutions
and so helpful a thought in times of unrest
and discouragement, that it should be emphasized
and frequently brought to mind.
Never Deny an Earned Promotion.—An earned
promotion should never be denied a man when his
opportunity does come, simply because his superior
feels that he cannot spare this man's services. As
unjust as that is, it is often done, and always to the
cost of the group spirit. In reality there are very
few men in life so important to their positions that
they cannot be replaced—and often to surprising
advantage. No matter what pains are necessary to
train the man's replacement, it is far better to let
him go than it is to keep him and thus lower the
morale of all by showing that your selfishness or
laziness is going to stand in the way of a deserved
promotion. This situation is often avoided by the
excellent rule that each man in the organization
shall always have at least one other who has qualified
to take his place.
How to Win Promotion.—It is not practical
here to detail the ways to win advancement,—magazine
articles are always giving happy suggestions in
this field,—but these are general hints: A man
does not win by bragging about his abilities, or by
anything that smacks of "freshness." The way to
get the superior's attention to your merit is to make
the merit conspicuous. You may be sure that management
is always seeking the man who can produce,
and that superior results will soon catch its
eye. So go at each task cheerfully, and above all
make it clear that your one big interest is the success
of the outfit. One thing that so often denies
promotion to a keen man is the statement of his
superior that "Jones is keen all right, but he thinks
nine times for Jones and once for the company."
This is too bad, when the same amount of work and
ability unselfishly directed might so easily have
carried him ahead.
Value of True Merit.—But the saddest thing is
to see a man get sore at heart and quit trying because
he thinks that his merit is not recognized.
Make the merit big enough, and it is sure to win.
Someone will find it out, and buy your superior
services. Ralph Parlette well explains this in his so
human pamphlet, "It's Up to You," in which he
illustrates human experience by what happens when
you shake a jar containing a mixture of beans and
nuts: The little beans rattle down, the smallest to
the very bottom, and the larger nuts shake up, the
largest to the very top. Thus we find our place and
hold it in life's struggle according not to our wishes
but to our actual size. Friendly influence may elevate
the little bean to high position, but the jolts of
experience soon rattle him back to the place he fits
without rattling; adversity may have crowded the
big nut to the bottom, but the same jolts will see
him shaking up again to the top. It is not luck
that takes one up or down, it is size—and the answer
to ambition is grow bigger. There is so much true
human nature in them that a few sentences are
quoted: "Everybody wants to go up. But everybody
is not willing to pay the price by first growing
bigger so that he can shake higher. So many
want to be boosted up. Everybody is doing one of
three things: holding his place, rattling down, or
shaking up. Whatever place we shake into, if we
want to hold our place, we must hold our size.
We must fill the place, for if we shrink up smaller
than the place, we rattle. Nobody can stay long
where he rattles. And you observe that in order to
hold our size, we must keep on growing enough to
supply the loss by evaporation. Evaporation is
going on all the time, in lives as well as in liquids.
A plum becomes a prune by evaporation. I wish
human plums became as valuable when they become
prunes."
Joy of Accomplishment.—Akin to man's natural
delight in doing things well is the motive for accomplishment,
and the pleasure he gets from seeing
a thing completed. We all know people who are
more or less ruled by this passion, who "get their
teeth set" as we say in doing something, and can
be interested in nothing else until they have done
it. One of America's most successful business men
recently replied when asked what he considered the
best thing in life, "The satisfaction that comes from
accomplishment." This may be enjoyed by every
individual no matter in what walk of life, for it
means the satisfaction to be had from the accomplishment
of the tasks in our own daily life and
work. The housewife has it from the contemplation
of her glistening shelf of preserves, the farmer
gets it from his crops and the schoolboy from his
work and play—when he completes a set task, or
first swims across the river.
The leader may often appeal to this instinct to
increase accomplishment. It helps explain the advantage
of letting the men know what they are
doing as they work, and especially of letting them
know from time to time what they have accomplished
toward the general result. This is the reason
that the posting of progress charts does so much
to arouse interest in factory and shop work, and
is another reason for including the workman in a
knowledge of the general progress of the whole
organization.
Everyone is supposed to have some underlying
purpose, some goal in life—as Bishop Brent says,
"even the loafer may be supposed to have the purpose
to live as easily as possible." But we do not
have to await the satisfaction of having attained
this distant goal. We get more satisfaction en
route from the successful completion of each of the
small steps that bring us a bit nearer the goal, and
count that day good in which we have taken one.
So the leader may encourage the faith and assure
the continued efforts of his subordinates by showing
them from time to time where they have made
successful progress toward the desired end.
Indifference and Discouragement are the natural
enemies of this instinct for accomplishment, which
may invade our minds and prevent the operation
of this instinct. They come from failure, or what
seems like failure when long-continued efforts show
no results; and from getting stale through the constant
repetition of the same task, without variety
or the stimulation of new ideas. The leader must
combat these enemies by introducing other thoughts
to replace them. He must encourage the discouraged
and interest those who are bored. He
may often stimulate interest in even monotonous
work by commenting on the perfection of its execution
and the amount of its daily output. It is
possible to relieve the monotony of long hours at
the same tedious machine by letting two men alternate
tasks, if it can be done without offending the
instinct of proprietorship which makes a man resent
having another touch "his machine." Here is the
leader's chance for ingenuity—he knows what is
needed, it is up to him to supply it. Learning other
jobs in fitting himself for promotion, brief opportunities
for supervising the work of others, getting
better acquainted with the general work of the
whole outfit—are possible suggestions.
Justice and Fairness.—Justice and fairness are
generally considered the first essentials for handling
men successfully, and yet how often we see leaders
who give them no consideration. Human nature
demands fair play, and gives its best response only
in that atmosphere. No matter what our religious
beliefs, we have to recognize that our best advances
in civilization and community living have been
based on the philosophy of life taught by the Son
of the carpenter of Nazareth; a philosophy which
recognizes how the natural impulses of mankind
react to fair dealing and decent treatment.
The eminently successful Endicott Johnson corporation
is run on the basic proposition that ninety
per cent of mankind are good and will make good
when confidence is shown in their good intentions.
The working rules for their organization are accordingly
made to fit the big majority rather than
the ten per cent minority. And this policy works—though
it be revolutionary. Rules are generally
made to fit the few weaklings who are not man
enough to play fair in the team—and the big
majority have accordingly had to be cramped in
their freedom because of the meanness or ignorance
of these few. This has been a common fault
in army administration. One ignorant trooper injures
a horse by running him on a hard road, and
an indifferent commander at once forbids all soldiers
ever to ride at a gallop. One man is disorderly
in town, and all men are forbidden to visit
the town. This may be an easy way to avoid
trouble, but it is distinctly arbitrary and unjust—and
indicative of unfitness for leadership.
This same spirit of indifference to the well being
of the good men in making efforts to control the
shiftless is to be found in every business and walk
of life. The point is that better results may often
be obtained by showing confidence in good intentions,
allowing more freedom of action, and controlling
the meaner spirits through education, elimination,
and the spirit and example of their comrades.
The leader should remember that fitness for
command is proven by ability to arouse a spirit that
makes the men want to give one hundred per cent
results. It is not shown by control through arbitrary
methods—any "dub" can make rules which
practically reduce his men to a state of serfdom.
This is but one phase of showing fairness. The
leader will have all kinds of situations to meet in
which he must show it. It is impossible to anticipate
them with rules, but you may meet them successfully
by a continuing determination not to act
in passion or impatience, and to judge each case
fairly with thought for the effect on all. In doing
this, you will arrive at the best solutions by giving
full consideration to the Golden Rule about "doing
unto others"; and by remembering that your final
decisions must have for their object the development
of the individual's character and the group's
discipline.
Surplus Spirit.—There are now and then men
of so much virility of body and spirit that they are
unable to expend enough of it on the ordinary
day's affairs—and the surplus often gets them into
trouble. A good leader tries to accommodate them
with enough hard work and play to keep them
comfortably steady, while the poor leader, blind to
human nature, punishes their derelictions without
effort at remedy, and gives them a reputation for
deviltry, and even for worthlessness. Yet these
very men were capable of tremendous exertions for
good had they been properly directed. War always
astonishes the community by bringing such cases
of reputed worthlessness to the fore in often brilliant
performance. These men found in the demands
of war enough to engage all their surplus
energies; and because of this very store of surplus
energy they were able to outdo their fellows. Giving
men work to "keep them out of trouble" is as
wise a saying as it is homely—and is well worth
remembering when you find some man looking for
trouble. It is a well known trick in the army to
call up some wild lad who is always getting into
mischief, arouse his pride by finding some element
of his personality to praise and rely on, and then
put him in charge of a squad of men or even appoint
him a corporal. Nine times out of ten he
will react to this responsibility by giving unusual
service. The difficulty is to find opportunity so to
promote a seemingly bad man as not to establish
an unfortunate standard of performance for winning
promotion. Such are the interesting things
in leadership.
Self-Respect Essential.—The leader has to guard
his own self-respect and that of his men. Self-respect
is absolutely essential to having self-confidence,
and self-confidence is absolutely essential for
either leader or man to play his part successfully.
If work is to progress efficiently each will be constantly
called upon to make decisions as to what is
best to be done, and to act upon them definitely.
Each must therefore have enough self-confidence to
do this without running to someone to ask what
to do in an effort "to pass the buck" of responsibility.
In the Leader.—First, then, the leader must
maintain his own self-respect—in his daily contact
with life and men, and in the conduct of his office.
His relations with his superiors and co-ordinate
leaders; his knowledge of his job; his self-control
of temper, frivolity, pettiness, etc.; his methods of
directing work and handling men—all these are to
influence and to evidence his self-respect, and are
thus matters for his consideration. He must
realize that he stands before his men as a better
man on the job than any one of them—and in this
light he wants to be an inspiration, not an apology.
It need not lessen his self-respect if he lacks either
physical stature, or age and long experience—though
both these may be helpful. Superior knowledge
and moral qualities determine one's fitness for
leadership, and enlist the men's loyalty and obedience.
How often in the war, especially in the
French army, we saw grizzled old fighters loyally
following youngsters just out of the training
schools because they had confidence in the knowledge
these boys had gained. In our draft army
training it was not uncommon to see a squad of
big Northwestern lumbermen following a keen-eyed
little corporal as though they thought him a second
Napoleon. It is not the size or age of the body
but what emanates from the soul within it, that
makes the leader of men.
In the Men.—And second, the leader has to
cherish the self-respect of his individual subordinates,
be they leaders of smaller groups or the men
themselves. He needs their intelligent co-operation
and must often depend on their individual judgment
and their willingness to carry on without
specific instructions. And unless these men believe
in themselves and feel that he believes in them they
will be afraid to decide what to do, and afraid to
do it, for fear of failure and its consequences. So
by showing confidence in them, by never ignoring
them as individuals, by encouraging and commending
good as well as correcting error, the leader develops
the self-respect of his men as a sure basis
for the self-confidence and strength of character
they need in order to meet his requirements.
Courage, Fear and Self-Control.—In many fields
of activity a leader is likely to be called upon to
meet emergencies requiring a cool head and a
stout heart. Some men shrink from assuming the
responsibilities of leadership in these fields lest they
lack the nerve and show fear when the test comes.
It should be helpful to them to understand something
about these emotions, why they come and how
they are controlled. We may assume that everyone
feels fear, for the self-protective instincts are
perhaps the strongest, and fear is Nature's instinctive
warning of the imminence of danger
or of consequences which threaten our well
being. The purpose of this warning is to make us
take steps to meet the danger, and it thus leads us
to action. Then we forget the fear, as it generally
disappears when we have gotten into action. A
developed mind and character, bodily health, and
a determined purpose, all combine to enable one to
avoid showing fear or letting it improperly influence
his actions. No one would willingly follow
a leader who lacked a courageous character, nor
could a leader hope to carry on successfully if he
was self-conscious of his own moral weakness. So
we say that both the leader and his men must have
confidence that the leader possesses courage and
force of character, so he will be self-controlled
and capable of calm reasonable judgments in the
crises of his work. The leader establishes this
mutual confidence by the self-control and good
judgment with which he meets the smaller emergencies
of daily administration. If he becomes excited
over little things, bellows and shouts because
something goes wrong, he is not only failing in
self-control, but is making his men question his
force of character and his ability to meet a real
situation. A new leader should therefore make a
point of training himself in self-control under trying
circumstances; he should even seek situations
which try his nerve and judgment, rather than
avoid trouble as the weak man does by quietly
slipping around it.
Control by Power of Example.—It is the leader's
function to be calm in emergency; unruffled, even
sardonic if he has it in him, in the face of hardships;
unperturbed and even casual in the face of
danger. The psychological power of mental suggestion
is now well understood, and accepted as
one of the sure means for controlling men. If you
are a real leader your men will take their mental
attitude from what yours appears to be. In danger
they will watch your movements, even facial expression,
for reassurance. It is then that you drop
some casual remark, "borrow the makings" and
roll a cigarette, do any simple thing naturally, showing
that you are at ease and confident in these
abnormal circumstances; and your men regain their
wavering confidence, feeling that you are not
afraid. So, in time of unavoidable hardship, you
must avoid showing annoyance or impatience. Your
sardonic acceptance of necessary conditions will unconsciously
lead to theirs, and save the nerve strain
and damage to esprit which result from grumbling,
and bucking, and cursing out everything in general.
And in emergency you must show perfect
self-control. Remember that your conduct will determine
that of your men. If you are excited, they
will be more so. The emergency will call for perhaps
the most accurate, determined, self-controlled
work, and if your heart has jumped into your
throat and made your voice quaver and your ideas
confused (and this will happen to the best of men),
nothing but disaster can result if you communicate
this to your men. You will gain time and success
in the end, if you take time now to swallow your
heart, and regain perfect self-control, before you
say one word to betray your perturbation. Then
with calm self-assured demeanor give your directions
as becomes a real leader. Directions so given
are a great comfort to the men, and assure steady
intelligent execution. To begin shouting excited
ill-advised instructions in an emergency is one of
the most characteristic failures of inexperienced
leadership. Try to train yourself so that you will
be one of the exceptions, by acquiring the habit in
any given situation of being first sure of yourself,
and then calmly giving directions to your men.
You have opportunity to train for this in the
ordinary affairs of life, and may thus acquire a
facility for knowing what to do in an emergency
and doing it with calm assurance. In any public
accident or emergency there is generally some
"admirable bystander" whose mind has acted instantaneously,
who has jumped in and done the
right thing. Question your mental processes to
learn why you were not the man, and try to qualify
next time.
Decision.—It is characteristic of a successful
leader to make good decisions that do not have to
be changed and to stick to them, and it is characteristic
of the valor of ignorance to make quick ones
that are generally wrong. Of course quick decisions
are preferable if they are right. They are necessary
in the army, though not so as a rule in civil
life, where the leader may generally take time to
weigh his subject before deciding. In many cases
it is even best that he first take time to consult his
subordinates. But in every case he must come
ultimately to a definite decision as to his course,
announce it clearly as his decision, and have the
force of character to carry it out without showing
hesitation or vacillation. The impossible man as a
leader is one who cannot make up his mind; the
next better is he who is influenced by the last man
who talks to him; and still too poor for his job
is he who having come to a decision allows himself
to waver and change in the face of each new
thought or development which the future presents.
If you have any of those tendencies, eliminate them
by watching yourself in making decisions. By practice
in the small affairs of your daily life cultivate
your power to grasp the essential facts of a situation,
to arrive promptly at a decision, and to stick
to it in spite of unessentials which may come along
to make a change seem better.
Value of Thinking.—The more you think about
the details and possibilities of your job, the more
you keep your mind on your work, the better you
will be prepared to make good decisions quickly.
"Because I am always thinking about it" was
Napoleon's answer when asked how he was able
to make such prompt accurate decisions in the art
of war. We teach the advance guard commander
as he marches to be thinking constantly what he
will do if the enemy appears in any of the various
situations he meets, and thus to keep his mind
prepared to make his decision quickly. So in civil
affairs that leader will do best who is a thinker, who
thinks of the business in hand and is mentally prepared
to meet its demands for direction. It is the
unexpected thing catching a man off his guard
which causes his uncertainty and indecision. It is
the element of surprise in an ambuscade which
makes it so advantageous.
A leader should be found so resourceful and
sure of his judgment that he can successfully meet
these occasions for quick decision. He can get a
reputation for this ability by carefully planning
ahead of time for certain tasks and thus being able
to make quick decisions during their execution.
But to maintain this reputation he must acquire
the habit of giving thought to his work, not only in
anticipation of certain jobs, but continually as the
work progresses. The mind which does not have
to be recalled from a fishing excursion will grasp
the essential details of a new situation more quickly
and accurately than one that was far afield when
the unexpected happened.
Personal Pride.—Pride is another quality of
human nature that is very useful to the leader in
controlling his men. Just as he guards each individual's
self-respect and cherishes it as the necessary
basis of that manly and intelligent response he
expects them to give to the demands of service, so
he builds up their personal pride—in themselves, in
what they are doing, and in the organization. This
pride is largely established through seeking out cases
of superior accomplishment and commending them.
Once fairly developed, pride becomes an influence
to which the leader may appeal successfully for
better conduct, better results, and for patient endurance
of hardship. He will not get it in a day, any
more than he will get discipline or morale. It
comes from the performance of good work that
has been recognized as such, and rests in a justified
feeling of ability and worth. So do not expect to
get it by simply announcing to your men that they
are the finest. Bring them to an honest belief in
their worth through your recognition of it by praising
their good work, and by making suitable remarks
to outsiders which some of them may overhear.
Find something in which they excel, and
brag about it moderately. If possible make an
occasion to show their ability publicly. If your
outfit can once get a reputation for excellence, it
matters little for what, it will become more excellent—good
men will seek to join it, its personnel
will thus improve, and it will continue to grow
better.
Pride in Organization.—Pride in the organization
is a tremendous influence for keeping men up
to the mark. It makes them keep each other up—and
you begin to reap the rewards for having established
it. You see them developing the spirit of
discipline you have hoped for, and the co-operation
in that teamwork which means so much. Every
leader should always strive to arouse this pride.
While we may not prescribe the exact steps for
arousing it to fit the various conditions, your ingenuity
will suggest the ways if you will make practical
use of your knowledge that men take delight
in doing things well and in having their excellence
recognized; that the excellence of the individual
should be reflected in the reputation of the team;
that out of the bodily and mental development
which comes from consciously doing things well,
grow self-respect, laudable pride, and an assurance
which strengthens the individual character; and
that these are the elements of the organization spirit
which you should seek to establish in your men.
Competition affecting Individuals.—The instinct
of rivalry or competition, which makes a man
strive to excel among his companions, is another
of the leader's instruments. This is so powerful a
motive that it has to be used with judgment. Once
launched in a real contest most men are likely to
sacrifice anything to win. I remember discovering
one of my young soldiers cheating in calling the hits
at the target he was marking. He was perfectly
frank in admitting to me that he had called many
hits improperly, and when I asked him why, he ingenuously
replied, "I heard the captain say we
must beat H troop, and I was trying to help." He
was so honest that I had to admit that the fault
was half mine, and did not punish him. As a general
rule what we want from our men is a high
average of performance which may be maintained
without any impairment of their powers, so you
must judge the case fairly before introducing the
spirit of contest. You must not be using it eternally
to keep the men on the jump, but only on occasions
that are worth while. There are moderate things
for which it may be used regularly to stimulate
effort, as in making the best record for punctuality,
etc. But you would not want a man to be driving
himself constantly to capacity—and so you use
judgment to guard against individual injury as
well as to keep the spirit fresh for use on real
occasions.
Team Competitions.—Competition between teams
engaged in like undertakings will not only increase
results, but its great advantage is that it brings
the individuals of each team into close co-operation
in order that their team may win, and thus gives
them a better comprehension of the spirit of teamwork.
As every leader is constantly trying to develop
his teamwork, these rivalries are very common.
But where your team competes with another
in the same organization it must play fair as a member
of the larger team. The same rules of co-operation
and loyalty apply to the conduct of your team
here, as to the individual members of your own
team at home. You may not do anything for your
team here which injures the other team, or lowers
it in the estimation of your men. Building up
peacetime infantry spirit by slurs at the artillery,
and artillery spirit at the expense of the infantry,
was found to have been expensive business when
war linked them together in the same team and
each found himself dependent for success in battle
on the co-operation of the other. "Sure he's good,
but we can beat him," is the true mental attitude for
contests within an organization.
Care of Your Men.—Looking after your men's
bodily welfare is an interesting and important part
of the leader's direct responsibilities. I remember
during the construction of one of the war training
cantonments asking a bright-looking mechanic, who
was pretending to be working at a steam heater at
eleven o'clock one night, if he thought he could
do good work in such long hours as he was keeping.
"Certainly not, but I can make good pay."
He was a decent-looking American, so I asked him
how he justified such a spirit in this time of government
need. "Because I am fed like a dog and
lodged like one." It was true—and the ignorance
or worthlessness of that contractor was thus
squandering thousands of government dollars a day
through needlessly disaffected labor, and delaying
the completion of necessary accommodations for
the soldiers. Such cases are common in every
activity.
Each job presents its own problems to be solved
according to the conditions. The big thing here is
to realize that the welfare of his men is an important
consideration for the leader who expects them to
do good work. It would seem unnecessary to state
that a man's mental and physical fitness have so
much to do with his accomplishment, and yet so
many bosses seem absolutely indifferent to a man's
condition so long as he is able to drag himself to
his work. In reality it should always be the first
cause to investigate whenever any man shows a
let down in his performance. A man cannot keep
up good work on an empty or sour stomach, nor
give continued careful attention to details if some
trouble is constantly obtruding on his field of consciousness.
This latter fact has cost many a good
man an accident at his machine, and the intelligent
foreman, knowing that sore feelings, grievances
and mental troubles interfere with good performance,
does all he can to eliminate them. In not
keeping your workers in the best possible physical
and mental condition, you are throwing away all
kinds of potential energy—running a six-cylinder
engine that is skipping many of the cylinders. How
quickly the superintendent would get after a foreman
who did that with a machine, yet possibly
never notice that many of the human machines were
as badly out of kilter.
In this question of looking after the welfare of
your men there are two opposing considerations to
be kept in mind. You are to build up in them self-respect,
initiative, individual responsibility and self-determination,
and therefore must not patronize
them, coddle them, or treat them like children. On
the other hand you have to recognize the characteristic
of an individual in a group—he immediately
shifts individual responsibility to the shoulders of
the group. That is the reason why every man of
a company in camp will continue to wade through
the mud to reach a spring where five minutes' work
by anyone would arrange stepping stones, or to
dip water with difficulty from a shallow stream
where a few minutes' work would dam it into a
comfortable pool—and no one of them would do
either of these helpful things until some leader
came along and ordered it. This need for oversight
is true in every activity, and the leader has
to be on the lookout to see that his men do the
things that are necessary for their comfort and
welfare.
This is particularly necessary in out-of-doors
jobs, as in engineering and construction. The man
may be too tired or inexperienced to see to it himself
that he has a comfortable place to sleep. The
boss knows that the man's work of the morrow will
depend on the restfulness of his sleep, and therefore
requires him to make himself reasonably comfortable.
Above all he gives constant attention to how
his men are fed, especially at their breakfasts. He
sees that they have the best available shelter and
comfort for the noon rest. All this is simply part
of his job of grooming and stoking the human
engine which he is using on the work. To keep the
men fit and to work them hard is his job—and the
beauty of it is that the more thoroughly he does
both the happier and more contented they are. For
the hard play of tough muscles and the stern conquest
of serious obstacles both bring pleasurable
satisfaction to natural instincts in a healthy man;
instincts designed to make him a cheerful and determined
actor in the struggle to conquer nature
and advance civilization. These instincts of pugnacity
and of joy in a fight, of winning out no
matter what the obstacle, are readily responsive to
appeal, and most helpful to the leader who knows
how to use them.
In some industries the physical and mental condition
of the workers is made the care of a welfare
department, which provides proper environment,
sanitation, athletics, hospitals, kitchens,
libraries, saving banks, country clubs, etc.—a
background for successful management. But there
still remains the necessity for the personal touch
of the foreman in direct contact with the men. He
understands all the facilities offered, their advantages,
and what management intends them to do
for the men—and he is there in close touch to see
that the men get the right ideas and make the most
of them. But beyond all that, incapable of general
control, and properly in the sole hands of the immediate
leader for the sake of their effect on
his leadership, there are the thousand little
homely things of the daily work and play in
which the thoughtful foreman makes his men feel
his interest in their welfare, success and happy
living.
Creating and Maintaining Discipline.—The inexperienced
man is likely to have more apprehension
about his ability to maintain discipline than about
anything else in connection with taking charge of a
group of men. He wonders if they will obey him
and is not sure of himself as a disciplinarian. It
will help him if he gets a fair idea of how discipline
is maintained. It is often said that discipline
is the result of the leader's administration of
rewards and punishments. This is too narrow a
view. In reality the spirit we call discipline is the
result of the leader's whole conduct of himself and
his job, of his personality and methods, of everything
he does for his men, to his men and with
them. Among all these, rewards and punishments
play an important part. But rewards have a great
deal more to do with building up discipline than
have punishments, and are given much more easily
and pleasantly. In fact if the leader has established
at all the spirit of leadership herein pictured he will
have but rare occasions to use any punishments.
This has been proven over and over again, and
with all kinds of men. In every phase of human
endeavor, fair treatment and the encouragement
that comes from judicious appreciation of good intentions
and from praise of good work soon establish
a spirit which makes punishment quite out of
place and unnecessary.
A concrete example of the highest type of rigid
discipline based on purely democratic principles is
that of a highly trained college football team. Here
we have individual manliness and initiative highly
developed, together with a sense of subordination,
teamwork, and the requirements of leadership and
discipline. Here we find instant, unquestioning,
cheerful obedience to commands given in action,
and an esprit and morale which make the team
cheerfully tackle the toughest opponents. Where
any leader may need in his group a discipline of
quick implicit obedience to orders, let him consider
the spirit of the football team as his model, rather
than the spirit of whipped obedience which was
found in the galleys of old.
Discipline from Rewards.—Probably the most
effective reward is the slight word of recognition
of individual effort or excellence, sometimes even
a nod and smile are enough. The main thing is to
show this man and the others that you see and
appreciate what he is doing. So as you supervise
the work of your men be on the lookout for chances
to commend individuals. Do not overdo it, fulsome
or unmerited praise does more harm than good.
Keep it what nature intended it to be, a reward for
excellence which every man likes to receive, and
for which he naturally strives so long as he feels
sure that he will get it when merited.
One leader will go about inspecting his workers
and look only for faults and speak only to criticize
something as wrong; while another will seek good
work to commend it, and correct mistakes in a
spirit of showing how it could be done better. The
first may by tremendous effort hold his men to a
certain level of accomplishment, the second will
soon have them all going in a spirit of emulation.
Smith does not see why he cannot do as well as
Jones next door, whom he heard the boss complimenting.
Appreciation of a man's excellence appeals
directly to one of his strong instincts, and
never fails to inspire continued effort to win further
praise.
Influence of Good and Poor Men.—There are
always to be found in every group certain men of
stronger more cheerful characters than the average,
men who make the best of things, who jolly
the rest along through the hard tasks, and whose
influence is thus a great asset. The leader must
note these men, and do what he can to increase their
influence with the others. If he has to show favor
to some individual, he should pick one of these
men to receive it, thus letting everyone see his appreciation
of their cheerful willing spirit.
On the other hand there are often certain men
of the meaner sort. They do the growling and
grumbling for all, and their influence is in the direction
of lowering the morale of the group. You
must know these individuals also, and do what you
can to convert them to cheerfulness and a will to
win. Where a man's influence is bad, be sure you
do nothing to strengthen his standing with his fellows.
If someone must draw a disagreeable task,
it is often well to let such a man have it as a reward
for being a "kicker." A leader who did not
think of this and made the mistake of handing the
reward to such a one would hurt the morale of the
whole by making the men feel that virtue was not
recognized, and that their leader lacked good
judgment.
You must therefore know your men and watch
their work and their spirit, so you may reward
the deserving, and never appear to support the undeserving.
In time of hardship or strain, when the
morale of your outfit is being tested, it will win
through or break down depending largely on which
type of men have the stronger influence. It will be
well for you then if you have strengthened the
hands of the strong cheerful ones and made them
subordinate leaders of sentiment and opinion in
your group.
Leader a Maker of Men.—The finest thing about
being a leader is the chance it gives to build up the
characters of the men—to take hold of the personal
equation of a weaker brother, discover his difficulties
and weaknesses and also his strong points
and possibilities, and so to handle him as to make
a man of him. This not only brings you great satisfaction
and the personal reward of feeling that
you are making the world some better by living
in it, but it brings actual material gain to the community
and to your work, in that you have made
this man able to give more as a citizen and as a
laborer. Many an army officer has found his one
relief from the tedium of peacetime duties in thus
taking a keen interest in the personalities of his
men, and in making it his business to build up a
reasonably strong useful character out of what
may have appeared an almost hopeless wreck of
humanity.
Every leader is constantly affecting the future of
his men, consciously or unconsciously. His power
to reward and punish makes this necessarily true.
His decisions and acts of authority each tend to
build up or to discourage the character of the man
affected. This is what makes us shudder to see this
power of leadership in the hands of ignorant, unscrupulous,
brutal or even thoughtless men. The
good leader realizes how by strict fairness, encouragement
and guidance he may develop the powers
of his men; and how by continued injustice he
may break a man's spirit, destroy his manliness,
and leave him a worse member of the community
than he found him. He accepts this responsibility,
and takes pleasure in trying to use his power for the
better good of the men, the community, and the
work in hand. He is in some measure a "maker
of men," and with that thought in the back of his
mind he studies his problem in a desire to act to
the best advantage.
Discipline by Punishment.—"Punishment" is a
severe word to use in connection with ordinary
daily affairs, but there is no milder one whose meaning
quite fits the case. It has little place in our
ideas of handling ordinary situations. In fact it
stands only in the background as a last resort.
Thus in community life the penalties of the law
stand in the background as matters of no personal
interest to law-abiding citizens. Yet the existence
of those penalties and of the means for administering
them are essential elements of community
organization, and they must be intelligently understood
by the officers responsible for community welfare.
In this respect the leader has the same responsibility,
and it is necessary to discuss frankly
how he shall use this power of punishment, in order
that he may meet this responsibility successfully.
Punishment is intended to be a corrective. It
must be administered for the sole good of the man
and of the group, and never in a spirit of vindictiveness
or revenge. By punishment we mean all the
corrective measures commonly used as means of
disciplining men—reprimand, docking pay, deprivation
of privilege, suspension, discharge, etc. The
severity of any given punishment is largely a matter
of the spirit and infrequency with which it is given.
It is in every case a matter of prayerful consideration
for the leader, until long experience has made
him quite infallible in his judgment.
It is possible to fix a set standard of punishments,
such a punishment to follow such an offense, but
this standard cannot be followed arbitrarily. That
would ignore the big human factor and all manner
of extenuating circumstances. Every case of an
offense must in fairness be judged on its own merits.
The leader must judge the peculiar circumstances
attending it, consider the personality of the
offender, and above all discover the underlying
motive. It is unquestionably true that most men
naturally prefer to do right, and go wrong only
for some reason. Very often some sense of
offended justice is behind it. In any case the punishment
cannot be reasonable unless founded on a
true understanding of the facts. And it must be
both reasonable and just, for its one big object is
the effect it will have on the man's character and
the group discipline. This effect is the determining
factor. It is most important that both leader and
men shall always realize that whatever punishment
is given, it is done for the good of all as well as
for that of the individual.
Investigation of Offense.—To be able to get at
the actual truth of the matter takes tact and knowledge
of human nature. You will be interested in
developing this ability in yourself. It will often be
difficult to get the man to be frank, he cannot quite
believe in your desire to be fair, and his instincts of
secretiveness, pugnacity, being a good sport, etc.,
all stand in your way. Put yourself in his place is
a good rule during the investigation. It is going to
take time and patience and skill, until you have
established the tradition of cards on the table and
a square deal for all. By avoiding ever acting in
passion and by always showing a determination to
get the facts and judge fairly, you will soon be able
to get at the real truth about each offense, and to
learn what it really means in your organization that
this man has done as he did. Then you may decide
what steps to take for the best interests of all.
Do not think that this is Utopian, or that it takes
too much time. It is a leader's business to have
time for just such things—and you really save time
by it. Do it thoroughly a few times, and you will
thus discover and root out the cause for soreness
and trouble and establish a spirit of fairness and
decency which will soon reward you by freedom
from having any offenses to handle at all.
Actual Punishment Unnecessary.—A pleasant
fact is that while every offense must be taken cognizance
of, it does not have to be always actually
punished. It may often be made the subject of a
plain talk to all of the men, explaining what such an
offense means to the success of the undertaking and
put so strongly that a better result may be thus obtained
without giving any punishment at all. I
recall an instance in one of the inexperienced war
organizations, where a senior officer, detailed to
handle the case of a man actually guilty of the
serious offense of sleeping on post as a sentinel,
made it so strong an object lesson in his talk to
the company that he put the whole outfit, officers
and men, on their feet in discipline, and did not
punish the sentinel at all. So do not feel that "punishment
must always follow and fit the crime." Use
your common sense judgment, and do the thing
which you believe will best promote the discipline
you are trying to inspire in all. A reprimand, with
an explanation of what the offense means to discipline,
is generally punishment enough.
The Leader's Responsibility.—If in the end you
decide that punishment must be given, give it yourself.
Be very jealous of the authority over your
own men. Do not let anyone interfere with it or
exercise it for you if you can help it. You want
them to look to you for justice and see in you the
seat of authority under which they act and to which
they are responsible. This means that you personally
handle every case, and make it clear that the decision
as to the punishment is the result of your
own judgment. If the offense must be punished
with more severity than you are empowered to administer,
then only send it to higher authority, and
with your own recommendation. It is a poor officer
who lets a court martial run the discipline of his
command. The good one sends a man to court for
punishment only in the rarest cases, and then because
he is dealing with a recalcitrant who will not respond
to decent treatment, and is therefore a candidate
for discharge. The same general rule should
be true in administering any office in civil affairs.
Prompt Action Necessary.—As the object of
both rewards and punishments is the effect they are
to have on the individual and particularly on the
group, action in both cases should be taken immediately
following the occasion, while it is fresh in
the minds of all. Let your men realize that you are
right on the job of bossing, and that the conduct of
each is a matter of real interest to you and to all.
To overlook offenses and neglects that appear willful,
causes them to multiply, and discourages the
faithful workers. The word or nod of recognition
of good work is immediate, and has its effect, so
also does the first step in recognition or correction
of an offense. This first step may be an admonition,
or even a reprimand where you are sure it is
justified. But the first step is generally to call the
man up and ask his reason—and to ask him in a
tone that assumes that he has a reason, and that
you intend to give it fair consideration. You may
have to defer action for further investigation, but
you have taken the first step and gotten the immediate
effect. It only remains to carry on to a
decision as circumstances determine.
Symptoms of Poor Leadership.—We have all
seen men in positions of authority who are awful
examples of what a leader ought not to be. A little
authority in their hands seems to upset the balance
in their heads. They lose all sense of how to deal
with men, become ridiculously arbitrary and loudmouthed
and blustering. They try to rule by "putting
the fear of God into them," by main strength
and brute force. They are the boss because they
have been named the boss, and "they will show
them." Their first step when they see anything
going wrong is to bellow "what the h—— are you
doing?" in a tone that implies that the man is not
only a fool but a criminal. They outrage every
sensibility of manliness he may have, assume his
motives are those of a thief and a liar—and then
expect him to respond with good work and loyal
service. Of course that is ridiculous. Such
methods of control bring only sullen obedience, and
even invite open rebellion. Swagger and bluster
are but a thin camouflage for incompetence, and it
would be a wholesome thing for these leaders to be
able to realize the scorn and disgust they are implanting
in the hearts of their men. Some do not
know any better, and may be made good by training,
others lack native strength of character and
are hopeless. Neither should be left in authority as
they are.
Misconduct—Fault of Leader.—Where you find
recurring cases of insubordination, or indifference
to good work, you will generally find that the cause
for it lies in the presence of a leader who is not
good enough for his job. This is true in the army,
and must be true in any organization. For it is
true that men generally start out on any job with
the intention to make good on it, and if many go
wrong in an outfit, the answer is pretty sure to be
that there is something wrong with its leader.
Likewise where a leader finds himself unable to
maintain discipline, he may well seek for the cause
within himself. We often hear the statement "I've
got the worst bunch of anarchists on earth. No one
could do anything with them." This is an admission
of the leader's own unfitness. Men run about
the same, are subject to about the same instincts
and controlled by the same general principles. I
have seen the same group of men who were all but
mutinous under a hard-headed, narrow-minded
officer become one of the best disciplined groups of
the whole command under a few weeks of a new
leadership which embodied principles of fairness
and decency in handling men. The lesson is plain,
both to the man who wants to be a good leader,
and to the employer who wants his subordinates to
get good results.
Giving Orders.—Many a beginner questions in
his heart whether he can get the men to obey him or
not. Perhaps this will be the first time in his life he
has ever been in a position of authority to give
orders. He has been the servant rather than the
master, in the ranks of his boyhood gang rather
than its captain. He has never enjoyed the habit
of command, and, unless carried along by some
dominating influence, is ill at ease in giving orders.
This is very common on the part of young corporals
in the army, and calls for experience and
training before they can make good. If the
youngster by tone or manner in giving the order
betray that there is any doubt in his heart that it
will be obeyed, he simply invites disobedience out of
the Adam that is in everyone. Common exhibitions
of this uncertainty are—the sickening apologetic
tone and even words, high-pitched shouting of the
order, accompanying profanity, repeating the order
again and again, and threats as to what will happen
if it is not obeyed. These are all sad exhibitions of
inexperience or incompetence, and are sure to lead
to trouble. See to it that you avoid every one of
them, and school yourself in the correct methods.
Here are some suggestions.
How to Give an Order.—In the first place do not
give too many orders, give as few as possible. Remember
the requirements of the modern theory of
command. Here is where they apply directly.
Therefore you first make sure that the order is
necessary, and that the thing to be done is reasonable.
Then pick a suitable man to do this particular
thing, call this man by name and thus get his attention,
and then in a quiet tone tell him to do so and
so, just as a baseball captain tells a member of the
team to cover third base. There is no question of
obedience, no thought of it. Your quiet tone does
not assume that the man is deaf, or a surly dog, or
a criminal, but does assume that he is an intelligent,
loyal member of the team of which you are captain.
It will not occur to him to disobey such an order.
How Not to Give Orders.—On the other hand
you will yourself stimulate his disobedience if by
tone or words you insult his manliness, question his
loyalty and obedience, or by threats dare him to
disobey. We see this often illustrated in the affairs
of daily life, where men untrained in authority are
required to exercise it, and generally give orders in
such a manner as to stir up trouble rather than to
get cheerful obedience. This is certainly true with
most street car conductors and similar holders of a
brief authority. By observation you may get a
dozen lessons daily in giving orders—ten how not
to give them, and two how to do it to get results
without friction.
I once visited as their first regular army instructor
a rather new troop of National Guard cavalry
that had somewhere gotten the idea that obedience
to orders would result in proportion to noise. Every
order was roared at the men, and generally accompanied
by a volley of profanity, in a pathetic effort
to exercise authority. It was an astonishing exhibition
of not knowing how to handle men, and
naturally did not command the respect or obedience
of the meanest man in the troop. It was a pleasure
to watch the keenness with which they grasped the
correct doctrine of command, and to see the discipline
of the whole organization develop under
the change. Those same men were fast becoming
real leaders and no doubt carried through to success.
It is clear then that disobedience may often be
the direct result of the way in which the order was
given, and you should remember this when investigating
a case. While that may not justify your
overlooking this particular offense, it should enable
you to correct the cause of trouble and thus avoid
continued offenses. You may be able to teach the
subordinate to give orders correctly, or you may
have to take away his authority.
The Why of an Order.—It is a good thing where
possible to give the reason for doing a thing at the
same time that you give the instructions. This not
only enlists the man's intelligent interest in carrying
them out, but often gives him a chance to do better
work because he understands what the desired
result is. There are of course occasions for quick
action and for simple action when this would not be
reasonable. So in using this idea of telling why,
there are two things which you must carefully look
out for: first, it must never appear that you are
apologizing for giving the order. It must be clear
that you are explaining what is to be done, not why
it is being ordered. And second, avoid cultivating
a spirit or habit which would make a man feel free
to stop and ask why when simply told to do a thing,
as in an emergency. So you give the reason for the
action only when it is clear that the circumstances
warrant it, and when it will lead to better results.
Necessity for Following up Instructions.—Equally
important with giving instructions is to see
that they are executed. This does not mean that
you are to stand glowering at your man until he has
moved. Go about your business in absolute assurance
that he is carrying on; but if he does fail, be
sure to note it and take action. Too many leaders
feel that they have done their full part when they
have given the order. To overlook even slight
neglects is likely to lead to more serious ones;
and for a man to be guilty of direct willful disobedience
is a very serious thing in any organization,
as it threatens the discipline of all and demands
drastic action. Do not let it be true that you
have gradually led a man into this through your
shiftless leadership, whether due to your laziness,
ignorance, or lack of nerve to enforce your
authority.
In the matter of how instructions are carried out,
a most helpful thing is to make it a rule of the organization
that whenever a man is given a special
task to do he is expected to report the fact as soon
as it is done. You can see the advantages of this
compared to the method of telling a man to do
something and then letting him feel that you have
no further interest in it. The man realizes that you
will know how much time he takes to do it, and you
realize that your duty is not fully done when the
instructions are given. It gives you a chance to
check up on his execution and to praise his expedition
or excellence; and it gives the man a chance to
try to win this praise. It is as though a father said,
when giving his son a certain task, "let me know
when you are through." He would get better results
than he would if he left the lad alone with the
feeling that his father would take no further interest
in it.
Willful Disobedience.—But with all regard for
everything on your part, it may yet happen that you
will meet a case of direct willful disobedience in
some certain matter. Some condition quite outside
your knowledge or control may have caused it. If
you want to handle this case wisely and save the
man to the organization, you must realize how his
mind is working and act accordingly. He is concentrating
his faculties in opposition to this particular
thing—forcing them from the normal easier
channels of obedience, he has to concentrate them
to the task of breaking out this new channel of disobedience.
As the phrase goes, he has "his mind
set on it." To win him over to obedience you must
first divert his faculties from this concentration by
requiring him quietly to do some simple thing like
handing you some article or adjusting his clothing,
anything that you are quite sure that he will do for
you. Then by easy stages you may develop a state
of mind which will make it possible to discuss the
original trouble reasonably, thus regaining your
control and saving him from grave consequences.
We have a like case in horse training. Where the
trainer persists in making him do some one movement
a horse often becomes stubborn and refuses
to move at all. The trainer then changes absolutely
to some simple thing which the horse will do at
command—perhaps to walk and halt and walk
again. He thus re-establishes control, and then
through steps that the horse will perform returns
gradually to the first test of obedience and finds him
tractable. It takes patience and a high order of
leadership to save a man in such serious cases as
this, but you will joy in having done it. "Any dub
can fire a man"—you want to do better than that.
Orders Rarely Necessary.—But after all the best
thing about giving orders is not to have to give
them. In the general case, the better the leadership
the fewer the orders given. Teamwork, co-operation,
initiative and loyalty of subordinates, all these
developments of intelligent leadership make orders
largely unnecessary—and things are done in response
to suggestions and in carrying out instructions
as to what is to be done. We may envy the
leader whose men jump in response to his quiet
firm tone of command. But do not imagine that
he picked this ability ripe for the eating from any
tree of knowledge or life. He has developed a
strong character and a knowledge of human nature
in some practical school, learned that self-control is
the first step in controlling others, and that men
respond in kind to the treatment they receive.
The Tone of Voice.—Not only in giving orders
but in all your verbal intercourse, the tone of your
voice plays a part quite worthy of your consideration.
It is a potent element of your personality in
its effect on others, and easily within your control.
It may interest you to the point of regarding your
tones hereafter to realize the important part that
human speech has played in our development from
pure animalism. Centuries no doubt passed before
primitive man learned the use of language. It was
the one big step by which he proved his superiority
over the other animals of creation and assured his
progress. For language is the foundation, as it is
the agent, of all knowledge; and alone made possible
the mental processes necessary for our present
accomplishment. Yet we see men to-day so blind
to this, so indifferent to this fundamental difference
between themselves and the beasts, that they allow
themselves to roar and growl and whine and chatter
in close similarity to certain well-known species.
Others bungle the use of their voice deplorably; so
one may barely catch their fading tones, or must
shrink inwardly from their rasping one. Men actually
attempt to win the minds of others and yet
speak in tones so repellent that convention alone
makes us stay to listen to them. It is a pity they
do not think to hear themselves as others hear them,
and thus learn not to sacrifice longer this natural
asset. For half the power of speech is in the tone.
We can all recall cases where it was the tone of
voice that caused the trouble. "It wasn't so much
the thing he said, as the nasty way he said it" has
caused many a man to go to the mat. But it is not
alone in making trouble that the tone of voice can
accomplish so much. We have also seen the cool,
quiet tone of a leader bringing order out of chaos
and re-establishing control and confidence among
excited men; the virile animated tone putting "pep"
into men's work; and the firm, confident tone winning
obedient following through danger and hardship.
The power of speech is thus seen to be tremendous—let
us use it to advantage, and as becomes
members of the human race.
The Mob Spirit.—As any man may have occasion
to deal with the "crowd spirit" and even with
the "mob spirit," it is well to have some idea of how
these things come about and are controlled. In
normal circumstances the members of a community
as individuals are law-abiding and self-restrained
in deference to public opinion and their own sense
of responsibility. Some sense of common wrong
may unite certain ones into a group for the common
purpose of obtaining redress or instituting
improvement. This group may start with no intention
of committing any overt act or even of actually
doing any particular thing, and yet end by being led
into most unfortunate excesses.
Individuals in Crowds.—The individuals who
compose the group have to a degree lost their
identity and have passed much of their individual
responsibility to the shoulders of the group. They
thus come to find themselves feeling free to do
things they would never consider doing as individuals,
and being controlled by statements and
suggestions which they would know to be absurd in
ordinary circumstances. Thus they approach a
point where they do not respond to sound reason
and logical argument, but rather react to impulses
which are aroused by passionate appeals, daring
suggestions, almost anything that has a catching
sound and is often enough repeated. And thus they
may end by becoming a mob, susceptible to blind
impulses and ruled by unreason.
In its beginnings this group is easily amenable to
control, for the "mob will" has not yet taken form,
and the individuals still retain some sense of reason,
personal responsibility and fear of consequences.
But the longer they remain together, the greater
their numbers, the more they are harangued as a
body having a common purpose, the more surely
does this crowd-will take form and make possible
their transformation into a mob. Therefore by temporizing
with the crowd you strengthen its unity
and encourage the growth of its concerted will.
Action to control the situation must be prompt and
decisive, and directed to an immediate dispersal of
the crowd. Let the mob spirit once get really under
way, feel its unity and find its peerless leader, and
it may be controlled only by similar tactics to those
of the demagogue who now leads it, or by the use
of the armed forces of the law. These are points
well worth the consideration of every citizen,
whether he contemplates joining a mob or trying to
prevent one.
Conclusion.—As you note that this discussion is
ended, it is possible that you are wondering how I
could have failed to mention so-and-so as one of
the most important elements in leadership. I hope
you are, for in so doing you have taken a big step
in leadership in that you have yourself considered
and weighed its requirements. I repeat in closing
that it is only by giving personal thought to these
questions and deciding upon your own personal
methods and conduct that you will acquire success
in handling men. Let your purpose be clear and
worthy, and your policy based on square dealing;
be yourself genuine, unselfish and just; make your
men partners with you in the enterprise, and your
personality such as to admit their loyal co-operation
and following; keep in mind that your object is to
increase their manpower through their developed
individual manliness and character; and then work
out the details as your own experience and judgment
dictate.
