These holidays I have been thinking about the relationship between leadership and giving and kindness.  I have discussed authentic and servant leadership in previous blogs. My search found few academic journal articles but I did find an interesting reference to James Hunter’s “The Servant.” 

Johnson and Vishwanath (2011) shared Hunter’s thoughts on how love is about behaviors, such as being kind and giving of self to others. Specially Hunter (1998, p. 124) suggested the true leader demonstrates the following behaviors:

1. Self-control (patience)
   
2. Appreciates others
   
3. Encourages others
   
4. Gives attention
   
5. Acts with respect to others
   
6. Seeks to meet others’ needs
   
7. Is honest
   
8. Forgives
   
9. Commits to decisions made and sticks to them
   
10. Seeks “greatest good for others”
    

My take-away:

Hunter (and Johnson et al.) are talking about servant leadership but regardless, this list makes sense. Each of these activities should increase influence, and perhaps inspire others.

Consider using this list for a self-assessment as we begin the new year. Rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means “I do not demonstrate this behavior” to 5, “I demonstrate this behavior very often.” Then look at the gaps. Where do you need to change your behaviors or work on some aspect of being a better leader? Self-reflection is at the heart of leader development. This might be a useful exercise.

Best wishes for the New Year.

Hunter, J. C. (1998). The servant: A simple story about the true essence of leadership. New York: Crown.

Johnson, A. C., & Vishwanath, K. R. (2011).  Servant professorship and its implications. International Journal of Education Research, 6 (1), 135-146.

"Congratulations!"  © Meg Bisaillon, 2014.

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Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations, coming in May, 
http://www.abc-clio.com/Praeger/product.aspx?pc=A4781C

People are different. Some of us have more difficulties than others learning or listening, reading, writing and such. These learning disabilities or differences in learning may make certain aspects of life more problematic. I recall a famous entertainer commenting, “I knew it took me longer to learn school stuff, but eventually I knew it as well as the others. It just took me longer.”

It is estimated that over 15% of people in the United States have learning disabilities. My guess is that if all forms of LDs were correctly identified and included, that number would be much higher. Several studies have indicated that people with LDs are more likely to become millionaires. One hypothesis is that people with LDs become more resilient, more likely to show people what they can do. One study discussed at LDonline.org suggested over 40% of 300 millionaires were dyslexic. The same article mentioned other famous, successful people with LDs such as Steve Jobs and Henry Ford. The list is long.

Gil Luria and colleagues published a thoughtful study on LD and leadership earlier this year in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. They discussed possible social reasons why some people with LDs might not naturally be seen as leaders, even though in their study, some people with LDs did emerge as informal leaders. They found individuals with LDs are “less likely to become leaders, whereas those who are selected for leadership perform as effectively as those without LD" (p. 755). They concluded there is no justification for denying people with LDs the opportunity to lead.

My take-aways:

1. We all have strengths and weaknesses, some of which might be classified as LD. I was at 2000 feet learning to fly a Cessna. The instructor pilot said, “OK, Ballard, give me a steep turn to the right.”  I knew the exercise well. I visually cleared the sky around me. No traffic. I then put the plane into 60 degrees of bank and then made a 360 degree circle in the sky, not gaining or losing a foot of altitude. I was pleased. But not the instructor pilot. He looked at me and said, “Ballard, that was one of the finest steep turns I have ever seen.” This was followed by some very colorful language I shall not repeat and the words, “Now give me one to the RIGHT.”  I had executed my turn to the left. Right-left dyslexia raised its head. This was an early sign that a career in aviation might not be the best for me. My mother, God bless her, was brilliant but reading and writing were struggles. LDs are real, even for many brilliant, wonderful people.

2. So I do not find the findings of Luria et al. surprising, but confirming.  Many of us find ways to compensate for our weaknesses (LD or other), to navigate life, to be successful in our own ways. My discussions with psychologists suggest that the key to achieving in spite of obstacles is persistence, drive, motivation, and grit. The person with an LD must solve problems, find solutions,to stay on the road to success. This "can do" attitude, ability to find ways around and through obstacles, characterize good employees and the best leaders. 

3.People with LDs and physical disabilities can and do contribute to the fabric of our organizations, nations, and the world. Some become leaders. Others are given opportunities by leaders.

 “Are Dyslexia and Wealth Linked? Study Finds Individuals with Dyslexia More Likely to Be Millionaires”  http://www.ldonline.org/article/5665/

 Luria, G., Kalish, Y., & Weinstein, M. (2014) Learning disability and leadership: Becoming an effective leader. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35, 747-761.

"Planets." © John Ballard, 2013
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Follow me on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/johnballardphd
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Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations, coming in May, 
http://www.abc-clio.com/Praeger/product.aspx?pc=A4781C

Do you drink alcoholic beverages on the job? This is a topic I had not thought much about until a recent article by Alyson Byrne, Angela Dionisi, and colleagues.  These researchers were studying the effects of ill-health on effective leadership. They measured psychological well-being using depression, anxiety, and workplace consumption of alcoholic beverages. Workplace drinking was a negative. That may seem like a given to some but definitely not to all. Google using these words: workplace policies drinking and study the results. Policies range from “Want a drink, no problem” to after hours only. Some companies believe drinking leads to more creativity or makes the long hours at work more tolerable.

In a 2006 survey of over 2800 employees, Michael Frone found alcohol use and impairment affected about 15% of U.S. workers. Some of his survey findings:

• About 2% drink before work.
  
• 7% drink during the workday
  
• 1.7% work under the influence of alcohol
  
• 9% work with a hangover
  
• Managers were more likely to drink at work than those lower in the organization

He concluded, “the results also suggest that most workplace alcohol use and impairment occur infrequently” but workplace drinking  is "prevalent enough" to warrant further research.” (p. 147)

Byrne, Dionisi, and colleagues reviewed literature on workplace consumption. Here are findings from their review of the literature:

• Who is most likely to consume on the job? People with work overload, job insecurity, those who are impulsive, those who think it relieves stress and improves performance
  
• Even low levels of workplace drinking are related to work withdrawal, less effort, conflict, aggression, and some decreased cognitive functioning. 
  
• At .05 blood alcohol level (BAL) planning was impaired.
  
• At high levels .08 to .12 BAL, behaviors can become more extreme.

What did Byrne et al. find?

• Workplace consumption of alcoholic beverages was related to less effective leadership. 
  
• If the leader was also depressed, moderate to high levels of consumption exacerbated the effect.
  

My take-aways:

1.  Byrne et al. make a reasonable case for the negative effects of workplace drinking. Given the apparent prevalence of workplace drinking in some organizations, there seems to be a research opportunity here. Is there a scientific argument to be made for workplace drinking? What does the data say? I'd also like to see a 2014 survey to compare with Frone's 2006 data. 

2. Does the organization have a written policy on workplace drinking? Frone also raised this point. What if an employee develops or has a drinking problem? Does the organization have clear policies and programs to assist the employee who is a problem drinker? If there is a formal policy, it is ignored or enforced? 

3. I am not a lawyer. I would think there would be legal counsel appropriate to this issue. Are there liability issues?

4. I suspect drinking alcoholic beverages in the workplace may be a significant issue in some organizations. I don’t know. But I can see the manager with a small frig with cold beer, or a flask of liquor, or an open bottle of wine stashed in a desk drawer. What’s the impact if any? On productivity? On perceptions? And what about the organizations where open workplace drinking is just part of the culture?

Byrne, A., Dionisi, A. M., Barling, J. , Ayers, A., Robertson, J., Lys, R., Wylie, J., & Dupré, K. (2014). The depleted leader: The influence of leaders’ diminished psychological resources on leadership behaviors, The Leadership Quarterly, 25, 344-357.

Frone, M. R. (2006). Prevalence and distribution of alcohol use and impairment in the workplace: A U.S. National Survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67, 147-156.

"Zwei Bier." © John Ballard, 2012.