The Role Model

There can only be one role model, and that one is the leader. It is the primary reason leaders are so influential in the scheme of things. I frequently write about this because leaders are responsible for the environments they create. Every group has a leader.  Every member of the group makes this so. 

Fight or undermine the leader in any way, and you court potential destruction. Leaders have the power to deal with and eliminate problems. If the problem is a person who refuses to follow the leader, they are gone. Two cannot sit on the same throne.

So, either we are that rare individual who is a total loner, only to our own needs, or we are part of a group following the dictates, verbal or otherwise, of the leader. In every instance, the leader is the “role model.” If the leader does not know and accept that they are a role model, it is a serious problem. Too often, leaders do things and behave in ways that say, “I don’t respect you; I have no time for you; I’m not listening; I don’t care what your problems are… Just get it done!” If this, or any other variation of the same theme is your experience, how does it make you feel? 

When I worked with leaders, I ensured they understood that I held them responsible for most staff and relationship problems. Their behavior had more to do with their people problems than any other factor. “Communication is the answer to the problem” became my mantra. Most importantly, the firms I worked with became safe enough for staff to accept problem-solving as one of their own issues and not always depend on their leader. Good things happened, and groups and individuals benefited.

I respect, regard—Those I lead know this of me—We, community

Sy 

Author: Sy Ogulnick

Sy Ogulnick received a BA from UCLA, Teacher’s Credential from Los Angeles Board of Education and completed phase I (Master’s portion) in a Doctor of Behavioral Science program at California Coast University. Sy leased and operated a summer day camp in LA. He and his wife then purchased virgin wilderness land in Northern CA, where they built and operated a coed summer camp. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, and purchased, built and operated a community children’s program for families staying in a major resort casino in Las Vegas. They have created programs for children nationwide that employed many people and in the process developed successful training programs for personnel. This led Sy to lecture on how to train staff and the creating of community within the workplace. Sy was then invited to speak at professional conferences on how best to hire and train employees, which led to his becoming a consultant in the art of improving relationships in a work environment and eventually to his epiphany that “Leaders are the primary problem and the answer to the personnel issues that arise in the workplace.” Sy has written numerous papers on the subject of interpersonal relationships, leadership and power. He has lectured throughout the United States, has been interviewed by the media and has appeared on many radio and TV talk shows

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