Wednesday, August 29, 2007

You gotta buy in...

I was previously employed by a medium sized accounting firm in the central Arkansas area. It was my first experience in a professional setting and I guess my first real job. Of all the technical skills I learned in the 3+ years at this place(an accounting degree means you know the language and nothing else) I learned more about management and leadership. My boss was a female Michael Scott. (If I lost you with that, go to blockbuster and rent Seasons 1 and 2 of "The Office"). She was perhaps the worst leader of people in the history of the world. You wouldn't believe me if I told you the stories. Employee turnover was always high and morale sunk to the point where my co-workers and I would go to lunch together and talk about how much we hated our jobs. Apparently it was noticeable to "management" because the bigs made the decision to bring in some consultants. The guys, we'll call them "The Bobs", brought in a plan that included getting all employees involved writing mission statements and company-wide goals and a plethora of other non-revenue generating activities. In one of the meetings, one of the Bobs began talking about everyone "buying in" to what they were trying to do. Another one of the Bobs began using an automotive metaphor saying that everyone "needed to get on the bus". Right in the middle of this metaphor, my boss, Michael Scott, decided to single out one of my more talented co-workers and asked "Is Andrew on the bus?" in a voice that one would use to speak to a toddler. Everyone looked at Andrew who rolled his eyes and Jason, my favorite guy I've ever worked with and one of a handful of men I would follow into battle, said "I think the bus ran over Andrew." Only one of the Bobs laughed but I still guffaw when I think about it. ("Guffaw" is a perfectly respectable word.")

A large part of leadership seems to be the ability to convince those you are leading to "buy in" or "get on the bus". This morning, I was reading in Joshua about the fall of Jericho. It is a good story, although it's never been one of my favorites - not sure why. You've read it. God tells them to walk around the city while playing instruments for several days and then the walls (which were specifically constructed not to fall down) will fall down. Right. Probably the most fortified place in the region and Joshua asked for the marching band. I can see Joshua telling the people the "plan to conquer Jericho". We're going to walk around the city everyday for a week. We're going to be playing our instruments while we're doing this. Oh, and then we're going to yell at the city walls and they'll fall down. Ready, Break!

This reminds me of a line from Ghostbusters - "Get her? That was your plan?"

God was surely with Joshua because the people went along with this plan - they bought in. God was with Joshua and that should give hope to all of you leaders. Have you ever felt God call you to a course of action that made as much sense as a screendoor on a submarine?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i've been there plenty of times...and when you try explaining to people what the Lord has laid on your heart and a few people don't get it...well it's tough...

i love all of "the office" and "office space" liners in your story...funny stuff...

Nathan said...

Man, I'm dying laughing at "I think the bus ran over Andrew"...
That's a great quote. In the accounting world, bus driver translates into partner most the time...

Anonymous said...

Interesting perspective on leadership as far as trying to convince those you're leading to "buy in" to something. In my profession, we've always used the definition of leadership to mean "motivating others in such a manner as to accomplish the mission." I think you can convince just about anyone to do something, in the end it's a matter of whether or not they're motivated to actually do it. Also, good leadership is a matter of taking care of those who work for you or with you.

Anonymous said...

I would have gotten fired on the spot by laughing too hard at what Andrew said.

The Bobs wouldn't have found my reaction very efficient, but neither was their meeting about the bus.

Anonymous said...

Also, our involvement with the kids at the inner city church was our screen door calling.

Taking a very scarred and troubled kid into our home to raise, while trying to keep his mother at arms length. It was crazy.

Our role seemed to end when we sent the kids to their dad halfway across the country.

It nothing for us; it jaded us, took a lot of money and emotion to get through it, but the kids ended up better off.

That's my trivial story.