| Topic Name: |
ConCall: Leading by Fear and Intimidation |
| Message Name: |
The Key word is "Lead" |
| Date Posted: |
01/06/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
??Beat them over the head??, ??Fire the MDs??, and ??Maximum of ME on your year end review??. Those were the threats made by overly dramatic CEO, Harry You, on our recent conference call. Is this the way you would expect to be addressed by the most senior leader of a top global consulting firm? Leading by fear and intimidation - kind of like my Dad used to do. Do you think it worked? Anyone else felt somewhat insulted by being addressed as if you were a 5-year old?
How did all this start? Well, let??s see:
The faults of the botched One Globe implementation are well known throughout the company and continue to be ignored. As practitioners, we have to struggle with its shortcomings every day. From payable systems that don??t pay vendors (and don??t provide managers with needed system source data), to billing systems that can??t handle our more complex contracting terms. Calls to Shared Services that go unanswered (the telephone just rings) or the person just simply doesn??t know how to handle the problem.
Let??s turn our heads now to quarterly audits. Why is it so painful to get though these every quarter? As a junior auditor the first thing you did prior to commencing an audit was to read the prior year/period files. Why do you think that step is not apparently taking place nowadays? The auditors are amassing billable time asking questions that have already been answered. Quarterly binders are mailed with the same details or short variations of, quarter after quarter. For what purpose then, if we are having to manage these questions and barrage of emails regardless? Do they check their notes? Do they read the material supplied? I doubt it. If the Audit fees are killing us, somebody should be managing this process more closely because our profits are being wasted.
Now, it seems, Harry is turning the crux of the problem back on our laps! Questions about TimeNX are brushed aside. OneGlobe never comes up as a topic of discussion. Instead, the CONSULTANTS are to blame for not filing expense accounts on a timely manner and coding expenses to the wrong fiscal year. Why should I support a senior leader that fails to recognize the main source of our problem - perhaps the botched One Globe implementation? Perhaps, the lack of resources to manage our administrative tasks? Perhaps, the incompetent hired staff or should it be blamed on the lack of training and QA? Who knows, but it certainly seems like we are just ignoring the source of the problem and masquerading the blame.
I expected professionalism from Harry on this call. An admission of the problems we face, and the collective accountability toward resolution of the problem. What I got was a childish temper tantrum - threats to the employees that make this company work. Tell me, there has got to be someone better out there, someone who can earn our respect and get the job done.
Fire the MDs if the system doesn??t work at year end? Why not name the person that should be fired if the 2004 financials aren??t released by the end January, Harry! Why shouldn??t that be part of your agenda on our next conference call?
Since I fail to understand his approach, and if you happen to disagree with the above, please submit your business case for review.
Regards and a Prosperous New Year to us all sans bonuses!
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| Message: |
I've always assumed the leader to be out front and through earned respect, inspiring people to follow them that have alternatives not to do so. These would be people with intelligence and in a business like BearingPoint, with a measure of self-respect and dignity. So my answer is that we do not get led by fear or intimidation. The leader of these people need to have vision of where we are going and can be at the front of the pack encouraging us to stay on course and continually describing the changing path we're on.
On the contrary, I see a manager/director/shepard pushing from behind and taking actions to force the flock to stay together. This person may have visibility into where the flock is headed, but it certainly is safer for them because the flock travels the path before they do. Fear and intimidation, along with condescending control are often the techniques used.
All large organizations need leaders and managers. They need to be playing the role at the right places and at the right times. For me, the leader is needed at the top right now in this business.
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