Leadership, Organizational Culture and the Covid-19 pandemic

Organizational culture is the standard, philosophy and shared ideal of an organization. Organizations that have competent culture are the ones that succeed.

For an organizational culture to be pervasive; it needs to be implemented from the top management down to the lowest ranked employee of an organization. A good and competent Organizational Culture is very contagious especially when it is thoroughly implemented and lived by its leaders.

For example, in the present Covid-19 pandemic many countries are struggling to fight this pandemic. On the other hand there are also countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea, Germany  Singapore, Israel, New Zealand and Japan that are able to contain the spread of this Covid-19 pandemic. What separates them from the other countries that are struggling to contain the spread of this pandemic notwithstanding the draconian measures that they have instituted?

What separate these countries are the competent organizational Culture that they’ve put in place. And who is in charge of putting in place this competent organizational Culture? It’s their respective leaders! 

 A good and competent Culture also attracts the best and brightest work force. For the reason that everyone would want to work for a company that has a good organizational culture. Who would not like to work for an organization that has a competent organizational culture?

For an organizational culture to be effective, it must be inculcated into the minds of the employees during their very first day of work. This is normally facilitated by orientation wherein the newly hired employee is informed about the culture and other policies of the organization. The workers are introduced to the many guidelines of their new organization. And if competently done it is expected that these employees would follow every rules and regulations of their new organization.

Does your organization have a good and competent Organizational Culture? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

How do you motivate yourself?

Can you still find the motivation to work in this era of Covid-19? 

Motivation is a positive energy that fuels an individual or group of individuals to achieve their organizational and personal goals. Usually there’s a person who motivates and there are people who are being motivated. This is usually the scheme of things.

But can we motivate ourselves considering that the pandemic called covid-19 is ravaging the world? Yes we still can! Notwithstanding the discouraging business and societal environment! We have to remember that motivation is a positive state of mind. Everything begins in the mind, if we have a positive mind and heart sets motivation is within us already.

What is important is we persist and believe in what we are doing. And for as long as we continue with what we are doing sooner or later there would be realization of what we are aspiring for.

For those who are losing heart already and is soon to give it all up. Don’t raise the white flag of surrender motivate yourself by doing the following:

1.) Pray and ask God to strengthen you!

2.) Think positive and believe in yourself because nobody else will believe you if you don’t      believe in yourself!

3.) Post inspirational quotations that will inspire you to continue!

4.) Be inspired by Motivational stories.

 5.) Work hard and never ever give up!

Saint Augustine once said: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."  - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Leadership in the era of Covid-19 pandemic

In a faraway place lived an arrogant king who was advised by his people to prepare for an incoming dreaded disease. The king arrogantly told his people that they need not worry because he will immediately kill the dreaded disease the moment it arrives in his kingdom. Soon after, the dreaded disease arrived and because of his arrogance and laxity his kingdom was ravaged by the dreaded disease.

How does one exercise leadership in the era of Covid-19? Effective leaders during this time should be proactive in anticipating what can occur ahead. For example, due to the flat economic activity lay-offs of employees would seem predictable. However, a good leader/manager must not only look at lay-offs as a solution to sustain the survival of the organization. Temporary reduction of working days should also be looked at as an alternative until the economic activity begins to increase and normalize.

Ego-tripping and the mindset of I am the only voice in the organization must be discarded. Leaders who are ego-tripper and power-tripper are insecure thus they are not good leaders. Leaders during these extra-ordinary times must be humble but decisive and they must listen to the other well-intentioned voices in the organization.

Countries that are being severely ravaged by the Covid-19 virus are countries who took action reactively. They belatedly instituted measures to counter the pandemic when it was already in their territories. For example, belatedly imposing travel restrictions.

Other countries took action proactively they closed their borders ahead of time. They immediately quarantined and monitored those whom they suspected to be carriers of the Covid-19 virus. They also proactively imposed travel restrictions ahead of time.

Leaders who are talkative are also strongly admonished to do away with this ego-infested mindset. Because this only exposes their incompetence the more they talk the more that they waste the precious time of their employees. Excessive talking is cheap during times of emergencies. What the people wants from their leaders are concrete acts of leadership.

In times of crisis such as this pandemic Covid-19 virus the actions and pronouncements of leaders will surely determine their fate in the organization. The best leaders are those who are able to tow their organization outside the door of the crisis. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

The wise and wisdom filled leaders listen first before they speak

The story is told about a leader who called for an important meeting among his direct reports. He did so because he wanted some changes effected in his department. When the meeting started the leader talked lengthy about his plans for their department. After he spoke he gave the limited time that they had to his subordinates to share whatever ideas that they may have.

After all of his direct reports were through sharing their ideas he found out that their ideas were very different from his own ideas. He was now in a dilemma on how he would reconcile this gap.

Typical, egotistical and authority drunk leaders always speak first during important meetings. They do this to emphasize their authority and to let everyone know who is the boss and master of their organization. In doing so, they highlight their selfish, autocratic and ego-driven intentions and behavior.   

On the other hand, when a leader lets his direct reports speak first he is silently telling them that their opinion and ideas matter. That they are important and that they have a voice that needs to be heard. When we listen first we are silently able to align their ideas to our ideas and we can adjust our intentions without prejudicing their intentions. So, we can easily arrive with a win-win outcome.

When the leader is the last to speak it doesn’t mean that he is weak, that he is relinquishing his leadership and authority. As matter of fact he is actually strengthening, solidifying and reinforcing his leadership and authority. This also shows that the leader is wisdom filled, confident and humble. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Humanize your leadership

The story is told about a slave driver manager who would always treat his subordinates as expendable machines. That needs to work hard day in and day out. This was always the scenario for so many months until the subordinates had enough of the slave driver mentality of their manager.

So they talked to the said manager and warned him that if he would not change his foul behavior towards them. They would petition for his replacement. Aware of the repercussion if his subordinates would petition him he therefore changed his way of treatment towards his subordinates.

Organizational leadership is not only about the achievement of organizational goals, targets and objectives. It is also about humanely treating our employees. What use would it be if we are able to achieve our organizational targets when we don’t treat our employees humanely? If we treat them like robots?

We have to be aware that organizational leadership is not all about meeting the organization’s objectives and goals. It’s also about treating our employees rightly and humanely. So, how do we humanize our leadership in the midst of the frenetic pace of an organization?

Number one is we have to be inclusive when exercising our leadership function as much as possible. To be inclusive means that we consult and solicit the ideas of our subordinates before we do leadership decisions. The beauty of inclusive leadership is we convey a message to our subordinates that they are not simply employees. That they too are decision makers and vital members of the organizational family.

Number two is we have to be helpful. Many leaders choose to stay in their ivory towers and look and lead from afar. For the reason that they are already leaders they choose to create distance rather than mitigate the distance by being helpful towards their subordinates. When we are helpful towards our subordinates we create an invisible bond with our subordinates. Invisible bond which we can always activate whenever we want to activate it.

Number three is we have to be up close and personal in the right manner with our subordinates. Some filthy minded leaders take advantage of being up close and personal with their subordinates by despicably trying to build sexual relationship with them.

Being up close and personal with our subordinates simply means that we try to get to know them better and personally. For example, we try to know their family and once in a while inquire about how their family is doing etc. And it ends there.

There are infinite benefits when we humanize our leadership primary among this is we increase the intrinsic motivation of our employees. Therefore, try to humanize your leadership and see the transformation that it would bring to the behavior and motivation of your subordinates. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Why is there a need for leaders to learn more?

The story is told about a young man that got promoted to a leadership position in the land development company which he works for. The Chief Executive Officer of the company saw a promising future for the man. She therefore told the young man: “Keep on learning: Learn from your mistakes, learn from your interactions with the people in this organization and learn by taking a post graduate course for it would help you ascend the organizational hierarchy.”

Why is there a need for leaders to learn? Because leaders who learn and who use their learning are effective leaders, why? For the simple reason that they don’t stagnate, they make their minds work and it strengthens mental activity which reinforces their leadership skills.

If exercise is for the strengthening and development of the body, learning is for the strengthening and development of the mind. If a person is not anymore willing to learn it certainly would hasten his/her advance to the geriatric ward of life.  Henry Ford the founder of the Ford Motors Company once said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.”   

We increase our value as a leader when we have an appetite for learning. Because it open us new avenues for promotion and other opportunities in the workplace. And it makes us desirable for piracy by other organization that would offer higher compensation.

But many are not inclined with learning anymore for the simple reason that it would entail burning the midnight oil/candle. It entails sacrifice, effort and time however everything that is invested into learning is worth it. Perhaps not immediately but it surely will come in handy in the future when there’s an opportunity for promotion.

So, keep on learning: Read books, read articles and commentaries that relates to your field of interest. Use google to the hilt to learn more.   For learning is the elixir of the mind. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

An effective leader is not afraid to show his/her emotions

Are you sometimes afraid to show your emotions? For example, your direct reports failed to achieve their target accomplishments and you were naturally disappointed. As much as you want to express your disappointment you held back because you did not want to antagonize them. So, you simply reminded them about your failed expectation and that’s it.

Managers and leaders should not be afraid to manifest their emotion when there is a need for it. Even if it will antagonize those who would receive the emotional outburst, why? Because it’s when we manifest our emotions that we become more effective managers and leaders. A good and effective leader/manager does not paint brush, sugar coat and hide his true emotion in the exercise of his managerial/leadership function.   

When a manager/leader is afraid to manifest his emotions he becomes hostage of his direct reports. He becomes an inutile leader subject to the whims and caprices of those under his supervision and care.  Emotions are what make a leader/manager effective. It galvanizes those under his care and supervision and it makes the leader/manager authentic to his direct reports.

What would happen if we are not afraid to show our emotions? We inspire our people to move towards the achievement of the goals of the organization. We create a magical but invisible motivational instrument that would push them to move forward and be positive no matter the odds in front of them. – Marino J. Dasmarinas