As one of my pen names
becomes more and more established,
I have to be more and more vocal
about wanting push back,
asking for my story submissions
to be rejected by editors
if they SHOULD be rejected.
It is human nature
to respect the successful
and some people think respecting another person
means accepting everything
they say and do
as being right.
I’ve seen this at companies.
The CEO is seen as a god.
What she says must be right.
A great CEO will work hard
to ensure her authority is always questioned
because
she’s not a god.
She’s human.
And humans make mistakes.
In his book
Car Guys vs. Bean Counters
Bob Lutz points out that
“One curious cultural characteristic
I encountered at GM
was an exaggerated respect for authority,
with the acceptance of everything
uttered by the CEO and other senior leaders
as infallible gospel.
It is bred into the system.
Senior people are seen
as being in possession
of some superior wisdom,
to be revered if not downright feared.
The reality is that
the company’s most senior executives
are just people who happen to get promoted
and who daily face the insecurity
of wondering if they are doing the right thing.
The good leader deals with that insecurity
by putting forth his or her ideas,
then letting subordinates dissect
and critique them.”
Ensure your employees
and your management team
are comfortable with questioning your decisions.