by Jack Ruffer

Several weeks ago I read an interesting column in the business section of our local newspaper. I don't always read that particular column but this one caught my eye and now I wish I'd kept a copy because it was both thought provoking and right on target. The article dealt with the subject of the stereotypical mini-tyrant boss and their impact on employee retention and it struck a very familiar chord! You know the type. They get their first taste of power and wield it like a hammer. They've got the little people under their thumb and can smash them on a whim. We've all dealt with those kinds of people - they're as mean-spirited, venomous and aggressive as a rattlesnake but with none of the rattlesnake's charm. The employee rosters in businesses with those kinds of managers change on an all to frequent basis because with all the jobs available out there in today's economy few employees are willing to subject themselves to that kind of "leadership" day in and day out? Work should be fun and intellectually rewarding or you're not doing it right, at least, that's my philosophy.

Take a minute and think about the third world dictators over the last several decades. What words come to mind? Authoritarian, totalitarian, tyrant, merciless, intimidator, threatening, demanding, demeaning, deceitful, dissembler, demagogue, selfish, greedy, uncaring, unappreciative, spiteful, vengeful ............. . That's the short list but you get the idea. Now think about the managers/supervisors you've worked for. Do any of those same words come to mind? Other words with a negative connotation (please keep the four-lettered ones to yourselves)? We've probably all had the unhappy experience of having been associated with poorly equipped managers/supervisors (in terms of their leadership skills) at some time in our professional lives. I know I have but you know, we've all learned from those experiences/associations and we should all be determined to not emulate those "leaders" in any way. In fact, the prologue to my rules (Ruffer's Rules for Leaders) reads, "These rules are the result of well over three decades of empirical observation, application, and analysis. They are based upon the leadership styles of those leaders who have earned my respect and admiration. I also studied under some 'leaders' whose leadership styles I abhorred. They too, are reflected (antithetically) herein."

Did you ever wonder where such managers/ supervisors come from? Is there some demonic power out there tampering with the genetic structure of our species that keeps turning out these mutants, devoid of any positive human quality, in significant numbers every generation? The answer, I believe, is no. Managers are made - they're the product of their environment. In short, they had lousy role models and they're doing it the way their managers did it. Why? Because they don't know any other way to manage. That's unfortunate but not catastrophic unless they're unwilling to change and to learn that you manage things and you lead people.

Association and portfolio managers, by the very nature of their roles, usually have highly developed people and social skills, but believe it or not, those attributes don't always translate into effective leadership skills. I've lived in various CID's for over twenty years and can attest, first hand, that not all association managers are created equally and not all are up to the task.

For the purpose of discussion, it may be useful if I cite some of my more fundamental "... Rules for Leaders:"

#1.  Your people are your most important and valuable resource. Treat them that way!

#6.  Set the example. Never ask anything of your people that you're not willing to do or have not already done. I can think of nothing that fosters resentment faster or more strongly than a double standard, your and theirs. If they have to work late, you work late (even if there is absolutely nothing for you to do). Nothing earns respect and admiration faster than shared dirt and sweat.

#8.  Never stifle initiative in your people. If you do, you may never see it again.

#10.  Praise your people in public; criticize (constructively) in private,

#13.  Put your people first and never go to the head of the line when rewards are being passed out. In fact, don't even get in the line!

#19.  Be cheerful, be pleasant and, above all, be human.

#20.  Look for the best in your people, you'll almost always find it.

#22.  Pull your people, don't push them. Lead them, don't drive them. The point is, it's impossible (by definition) to lead from behind. You've got to be out in front. Good, effective and consistent leadership never fails to inspire responsive, committed, and enduring fellowship.

#23.  Try to catch your people doing something "right" instead of something "wrong." It says a lot about your mind-set (see #20 above).

#24.  Don't think of yourself as the "boss." If you do, you probably had a lousy role model. Rather, think of yourself as your people's coach, their mentor, their teacher. It fosters a very different attitude/mind-set.

#26.  Frequently, and in subtle ways, let your people know that they come first. Manifest caring, concern and compassion for their well-being in everything you do.

#40.  Leadership is an art; management is a science. If you want to be an effective manager, you must first be an active and committed student of leadership.

Many managers persist in believing that personnel turnover is the result of the lure of more money somewhere else. If you read my column in the June 2000 issue of HOA ManagerNewsline, you know that's just not true. Money was only number five on a list of ten motivational factors. The top three were: Full appreciation for work done, feeling "in" on things and sympathetic understanding of personal problems. It's easy to blame the problem on money but you're only fooling yourself and sooner or later ownership is going to catch on. Remember, personnel turnover is only one of management's many indicators, but, if I owned an Association Management company, I'd certainly be concerned about a constant turnover in personnel and one of the first places I'd look is at the manager.