Читать книгу Becoming an Invitational Leader - William W Purkey - Страница 27

The invitational leader is always aware that his or her success depends upon the people, and for this reason respecting others is a critical element of positive leadership. The question for the invitational leader is not: How can others make me a success? Rather, the question is: How can I summon my colleagues to reach their full potential? What happens above all else is that we begin to relate to others respectfully. Throughout his career, philosopher and psychologist John Dewey stressed the importance of respect in human relationships. Dewey maintained that the more democratic the group, the more the group experience builds on the unique perspectives and interests of its members, and the more the group experience becomes a source of fulfillment for all involved.

A simple but graphic example of respect in action was provided by a small sign we noticed at the entrance to an antique store.

If you accidentally break an item, we would hope that

you might purchase an item of equal or greater value

to offset the cost of the broken item.

Compare the above sign with:

YOU BREAK IT, YOU BOUGHT IT!

In another example, the following sign was posted at the entrance of a department store:

Please enjoy your food and drink before shopping with us.

This is much more diplomatic than:

NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED IN STORE.

A third example was provided by a tire service center:

Customers are welcome in the shop area.

Because your safety is important to us, we will

provide you with an escort and proper eye wear

before entering the shop area. Thank you.

This sign makes for a striking comparison with the usual:

KEEP OUT!

EMPLOYEES ONLY

Such signs are particularly frustrating when they appear on a restroom door.

As a further illustration of the significance of respect is an experience one of the authors had at a very large hotel and convention center:

I was part of a planning committee of an international organization to select a suitable location for a future conference. We visited a likely hotel and were shown all the fancy technology (screens that dropped from the ceiling, bedrooms with the latest electronics, etc.). The hotel was very impressive. After our planning committee was shown around the hotel and conference center by an eager sales manager, we said goodbye and departed. On the way out we stopped at the hotel coffee shop to have a cup of coffee and talk about the suitability of this hotel. When we went to purchase our coffee we noticed a big sign on the self-service coffee urn: NO REFILLS! We talked about that ugly sign at length. I’m sure it had an impact on our choice of another hotel for the international conference.

Very small things can sometimes mean a great deal.