Are you one of the leaders?

When you go into work on Mondays, are you expected to show leadership? I was a director of a department at a nonprofit before I retired. And, as such, I got some management training in addition to my Masters in Clinical Social Work. In upcoming posts I will share a few of the resources that proved to be very helpful. Today I'll highlight Douglas McGregor's (of "Theory X, Theory Y" fame) ideas on teamwork, from "The Human Side of Enterprise." Here is his list of characteristics of an effective work team:

1. The "atmosphere" tends to be informal comfortable and relaxed.
2. There is a lot of discussion in which everyone participates.
3. The objective is well understood and accepted by the members.
4. Members listen to each other.
5. There is disagreement.
6. Most decisions are reached by a kind of consensus.
7. Criticism is frequent, frank and relatively comfortable.
8. People are free in expressing feelings as well as ideas.
9. When action is taken, clear assignments are made and accepted.
10. The chairman of the group does not dominate.
11. The group is self-conscious about its own operations.

Not long ago my favorite boss passed away. It was under her that I first came to believe I could exercise leadership. She was responsible for seeing to it that I got the best management training available from United Way where we worked. She even taught me how to handle our resident "curmudgeon with a heart of gold." I will be forever grateful to her for enriching my life. I never really got to express that to her fully enough. This post is in honor of her. It is the next best thing I can do.

If you have a boss you sincerely like and admire, or perhaps a mentor, take the time when you can, to let them know how they have helped you. If you do this, you are on the right path to leadership yourself.

My topical post today at South by Southwest and The Reaction is about politics.

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