Page 111 - 4- Leading_from_Within

• what it feels like to work for the organization.
Furthermore, what management emphasizes, rewards, and reprimands can
tell the members of the organization what is really valued.

The excellent leader will be one who creates an organizational culture or a
value system centered upon principles of good management and
leadership. As was stated earlier, leaders are in the strongest position to
125
shape the culture of the organization, and they need to have the
competency to do so. The basic assumptions of how things work there,

what is important, what is valued, and what differences exist between the
values espoused and lived out by top management are all elements of
organizational culture. It is a leader’s job to understand what that culture
is, how to change it if necessary, and how to leverage that culture toward
excellent performance of services for customers, clients, and stakeholders.

Innovation is the engine of change . . . (and) culture is a primary
determinant of innovation. P. K. Ahmed.

It has been said that culture is the fine sand that can destroy the gears of change,
gradually grinding to a halt any effort to make things better. Only leaders can
126
deal with this, yet it is one of the most complex of problems and demands
persistent attention. A positive culture on the other hand becomes a
competitive advantage that competitors cannot easily duplicate. Southwest
Airlines is a good case in point. All airlines basically do the same things,
but somehow Southwest has created a climate (or culture) where from the
pilot to the baggage handler, they simply seem to do it better. 127

Most managers, unfortunately, do not take culture into account as they
devise plans and strategies for developing leaders in their organizations.
One reason for this neglect is the difficulty that most people have in
recognizing their own organizational cultures and the impact it plays in

fostering leadership opportunities. In reality, the culture defines the kind
of leadership that is acceptable for the organization.

125 Stephen R. Covey, “Three Roles of the Leader in the New Paradigm.” Frances Hesselbein, et.al.
editors. The Leader of the Future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996. p. 149.
126 http://govleaders.ort/competency.htm.
127
Ray Blunt at http://govleaders.org/competency.htm.
David Kolzow 111