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Welcome to AFR BOSS
July issue out now!
Two different leaders brought down by two different events. But the brutally sudden removal of Kevin Rudd as prime minister and the exit of David Jones chief executive Mark McInnes share a common thread. Ultimately, a common management failing was their undoing: an inability to adapt their behaviours to changing circumstances and expectations.
For more than a year now, there has been plenty of talk about the trouble with Kevin. At its most basic level, what we had was a smart leader who kept getting in his own way. Without an experienced confidante possessing the courage to say “enough”, Rudd was in the process of self-destructing – becoming more controlling as the pressure mounted and preventing others from effectively conducting the business of government.
Ian Williamson, professor of human resource management at Melbourne Business School, says leaders must be adaptable: “When the situation and demands have changed, you require different capacities. Leaders have to play this delicate balance between selling the vision and creating the opportunity for others to have a voice and participate in it. He [Rudd] had opportunity for change because he could articulate a vision. What he failed to do was to empower others to act on the vision. It’s not unique to politics.”
In the case of the David Jones boss, it was an employee who had the courage to say “enough” to alleged sexual harassment. The board responded swiftly, sending a signal – not just to its employees and customers but to the whole of the country. Australian Human Resources Institute president Peter Wilson describes sexual harassment as a “latent cancer” – a lot of it goes on but people mostly say nothing because of the consequences. Yes, it is difficult to manage, Wilson says, but leaders are “the trustees and ultimate arbiters of the values and ethics of the company”.
It is a reminder to anyone in a position of authority that these days as a community (not just in the political backroom), we just won’t tolerate behaviour that doesn’t cut it.
Narelle Hooper
Editor
TEAM BOSS
Ollie Towning, art director
NO SUIT NEEDED. It's all about the look. Although the suit is often
seen as the mark of power visually, the trend in BOSS lately has been
to strip back the suit to create a relaxed, humanised and more approachable
person.
Louie Douvis, photographer
Rely on your instincts and keep experimenting - it's a good philosophy
for coming up with new ideas in photography and life in general.
Rose-Anne Manns, chief subeditor
I used to think capitalism and socialism were mutually exclusive. I've
been heartened to see a breed of businesspeople embrace the idea that
social benefit can co-exist with the profit motive.
Haki Crisden, subeditor
Coming from the United States, I note that the Australian workplace
only appears to be more casual than the one I knew.
Jessica Gardner, reporter
As a young journalist, I am often pigeonholed as being "so gen
Y", but I won't be surprised when the generation Y approach to
work and leadership becomes the norm.
Catherine Fox, deputy editor
I wish we had another word for management because it doesn't cover
the fascinating stuff about behaviour, emotion, philosophy, power and
neuroscience that I have discovered working here. At BOSS, we say this
isn't just about the way we do our jobs - it's about life.
Narelle Hooper, editor
I marvel at how many leaders achieve all they do and stay sane and
grounded. Words and symbols are important signposts in the development
of our thinking. I now have a personal ban on the phrase "soft
skills". The numbers - they're the easy things. The people behind
the numbers, that's the really hard part.
Fiona Smith, AFR Workspace
The evolution of a more humane, people-centric workplace was merely
set back by the GFC. The talent shortage means we will continue to progress
away from those industrial-age organisational structures, which no longer
fit.
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