Punitive Leadership

So much of what we call leadership is about punishing or correcting people. It's a hierarchical model where the benevolent dictator tells everyone what to do and then introduces consequences for any action that doesn't suit him/her or the rules he's imposed. The difficulty with this approach is that it's all about the dictator. Employees rarely have a say in what goes on or the ability to make decisions for themselves. People have a hard time growing or feeling motivated because they're just waiting for the next punishment or correction.

The approach I prefer is to encourage people to use their decision-making ability in conjunction with their talents, abilities and interests to make the workplace run better. It's a shift in leadership from dictating from the outside to motivating people from the inside.

Take care,

Guy
Leadership Training