Yesterday, I listened to a radio show about America’s upcoming 250th anniversary. The host had people call in with their views which, as you can imagine, varied. As I listened to opinions that ranged from unquestionable acceptance to aggravated indignation, I thought about how businesses deal with differences in opinions.
My entry into the business world started in the 1980s, a time of ‘command and control’ leadership. We were expected to agree and then implement what came down from the top – not question it publicly. If you had the guts to question a leader privately there were serious odds that you were putting your career on the line.
We live in this amazing country where it feels like we’ve been discussing, disagreeing and fighting about what America should be since 1776, a time that the founding fathers came here to get away from heavy-handed command and control only to create businesses that were led and managed that way for centuries. The (IMO) very “old school” business org chart is a triangle of command and control. The message it sends is that your value is directly related to how high on the pyramid your name is.
I just don’t understand how a pilot can be considered more valuable than the person who fills the tank so that the plane can fly. When I say ‘valuable,’ I’m not specifically talking about pay, although I may write later about pay gaps and why I believe the continued widening is not good for businesses or society…I digress. What I mean by valuable is having equal access, being sought and asked to share ideas about what is working and not working, with people who make the decisions that impact things.
As we celebrate Independence Day, I am hopeful that this experiment of The United States of America, will continue to be one of continuous improvement, even during the fighting, discussing and disagreeing. The business world can reflect where our country is now and sometimes forecast where it is going. To be sure, the business world still has plenty of command and control organizations – but there are also many that have shifted to ‘inspire and empower’ while improving profits and really listening to the people that make the business able to do what it does.
I can’t imagine the shock our founding fathers would have if they saw what America looks like today. I know many of them would not approve of the roles women and people of color now have but I’m trying not to focus on their mistakes and instead be grateful where I landed in an imperfect, amazing, maddening and inspiring place like no other. Happy Birthday, America!
– Becky Sharpe, CEO
