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Another habit for effective leaders

February 1, 2005 By    

I wrote a series of columns in 2004 about how to become a more effective propane operator. The ideas I presented were the creation of Stephen R. Covey, from his classic Top 10 non-fiction bestseller, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” To refresh your memory the original Seven Habits are:

1. Be proactive

2. Begin with the end in mind

3. Put first things first

4. Think win-win

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the saw

 Carl Hughes LP/Gas Magazine Columnist
Carl Hughes LP/Gas Magazine Columnist

Since the creation of this model of personal and professional development in the mid-1980s, Covey has risen to unparalleled status as a management consultant. The profound concepts combined into the seven habits have transformed individuals and organizations into new levels of effectiveness and success.

Fifteen years later, Covey has created an eighth habit: “Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.”

His inspiration to add another level is based on his observations that many people in the work force don’t ever reach their highest potential. Covey’s statistics show that only 20 percent of individuals in the workforce fully trust the organization they work for, only 15 percent feel their organization fully enables them to execute key goals, and only one in five is enthusiastic about their company’s and team’s goals.

The propane industry is not insulated from this lack of worker enthusiasm. Often there is a large disconnect between the ownership objectives, managerial messages and what the workers see and hear. This disconnect creates more than confusion; it creates an environment that does not take each employee to their fullest potential.

There are a number of common workforce dilemmas that cut across a wide variety of industries, such as:

  • Management wants more for less, while employees want more of “what’s in it for me;”
  • Businesses are run by the economic rules of the marketplace, while organizations are run by cultural rules of the workplace;
  • Relationships are built on trust, while people think more in terms of “my wants, my needs, my rights;”
  • People want peace of mind and good relationships, but they also want to keep their lifestyles and their habits; and
  • Only 37 percent say they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.

It is Covey’s premise that the workplace continues to evolve towards a knowledge-based environment. He estimates that 70 to 80 percent of all the value added to goods and services comes from knowledge work versus other “things.” Twenty years ago that number was 20 to 30 percent.

This dramatic shift in the workplace requires new thinking about how to manage and lead employees. The subtitle of Covey’s new book, “From Effectiveness to Greatness,” is his attempt to bridge the employee needs in a knowledge worker-age with an industrial-age management model.

It is the responsibility of your company’s leadership to clarify the purpose, mission and objectives of your organization. Finding your voice involves adding passion to the vision, thereby clarifying the end product in such a fashion that empowers people.

Truly great organizations inspire employees to maximize their talent, creativity and enthusiasm. It should be leadership’s objective to help employees and workers “find their voice.” This means employees can adapt to the leadership’s direction, but at the same time extend their roles to greater levels.

“Finding one’s voice” is a more abstract concept than the original seven habits, which have quite simple, yet profound, messages. Covey’s audience is clearly directed to the larger, more complex organizations than those typically found in retail propane.

Finally, an argument could be made that little has changed in the needs of the basic operation of the retail propane company over the years. We continue to deliver our product as we did 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Our primary customer’s need – that of home heat – has not changed. So, why pay attention to this eighth habit at all?

My answer is that we do not live in a vacuum in this industry. If what Covey talks about is real, our industry will be impacted. The most effective retail organizations will attempt to understand how change will affect their business and adapt to new concepts of management.

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