11-2.5 MBWA

After reading Characteristics of Contemporary Social Life... (p.199) I found the idea of the concept of Management By Walking Around (MBWA) to be rather insightful. Last year I was talking to some support personnel and one of them mentioned that the Chief had not been down to visit them or talk to them. He had recently been appointed the Chief (leader) and he had mentioned in some memos that he would be taking the time to go around and meet with the members of the organization. It had now been several months and he had not made his way to the area of the department. I could feel the air of resentment, as they spoke about his leadership. They said they were not impressed with him and that they didn't think he was a good leader. I thought to myself, imagine what they might be thinking now if had taken a few minutes to meet them at their division meetings? Just to say hi, give them praise on a job well done; and a promise to be open to their concerns. Shake some hands, walk around and ask members about their jobs. It would have gone a long way to promote harmony and pride. Instead, he has missed out on an opportunity. However, with each new year, it seems to me that he could conduct his MBWA and restore some credibility!

11-2.4 The Human Touch

After reading Box 7.9 (p.195) it made me think of my good friend, Scott. He's the leader (Police Chief) of the LGPD. I've known him for over 23 years. We worked together on many projects at SJPD. We had lunch a few months ago to catch-up on things. I met him at his office. I was escorted inside and I waited for him (he was running late). When he arrived, we greeted each other and he quickly removed his tie. He said, "No Tie, July". He said that he had asked the members of the office staff to make some suggestions to enhance the office environment (about 40 employees - detectives). He said, "they thought that not wearing ties for the month of July would be a nice change.

Then we left his office, he talked with a few people on the way out and we were on our way to the deli. As we walked on the sidewalk, the sun was shining, the day was clear, it was picture perfect! As we stopped at the lights to cross the street, we received several waves from passer-bys. He smiled and spoke to the people by their first name (he always had a knack for remembering people's names). As we made it to the restaurant he was finishing answering the question I had posed him. I had asked, are you happy here at this small department, do you ever regret leaving San Jose and the potential to lead a larger department?

He just smiled, and said, "this is a great place and I love the people. I know most of the business owners and I feel like the officers are doing the right thing. I couldn't do this at SJPD." He told me that he really got to know the officers and felt that they had an idea about how he wanted the department run. As we walked back to his office, an officer drove by and waved, a shop keeper came out of the store to thank the Chief for his officers responding to a call last month. It was just another day in Los Gatos...

11-2.3 - Transformational Leader

Since the election, I have heard many commentators say that President-Elect Obama is a transformational leader. I recall reading about that type of leader in chapter 7. According to the text (p.196), "the leader encourages such change by appealing to followers to change their focus, usually away from selfish interests to a higher purpose..." After listening to Mr. Obama's speech on Monday, I would have to say that he seems to appear to fit the mold of a transformational leader. His campaign has been about "change" since say one. It was obvious that he grabbed the mantel of change away from the other campaign. It would appear that it was a successful strategy. Since he was offering change, it was an inevitable since the we were getting a new president. Also, his rise to the office (as an African-American) would be the first for this nation. Finally, he was always saying that it was about the voters (the people) not him. And that he was only the person trying to represent their cause; to be their voice for change. According to the text, (p.194) change is central to the concept: if someone attempts (or succeeds at) radical organizational or social change, the leadership is transformational.

11.2 Change

In chapter Eleven (p.315), the book discussed an organizational phenomenon where we often embrace a trend that we aren't sure of. The recent election made me think of this phenomenon of change. The candidate who made "change" the focus of his candidacy prevailed. And yet, could it be that the country, the citizenry, were ready for a change? Were we just tired of the bad news, the ill words, the hurt and pain? It seems as though we needed a transformational leader to bring about the change we were desiring. The images of people jubilant in the streets for president-elect Obama gave rise to the notion that they were pleased with the "change". The climate is right for change. This country seems eager to move forward in new paths and try and out new ideas. That is until the next time we need a "change".

11.1 Leadership?

In chapeter 11, we discussed the effectiveness of leadership. We learned that having skills in communication was an important element in becoming an effective leader. Last Thursday, the leader of the Palo Alto Police Department, Police Chief Lynne Johnson, found out how important that is. According to the San Jose Mercury News, she was at a Town Hall meeting on Thursday discussing a string of Burglaries that had occurred in the City over the last few weeks. After the meeting, she spoke with a television reporter and said (in the interview) that she had instructed her police officers to question African-American men as part of the investigation. This comment led the NAACP, and other community members to complain about her comments, saying that it sounded like racial-profiling. On Monday night she communicated an apology to the council as members of the public called for her ouster.