Chess vs. Checkers

                I recently changed jobs.  I’ve been an Program Manager at a Senior Center for about a month.  Today was our new CEO’s first day. There is a lot of transition going on, and I’m trying to be open-minded, but something about the new CEO makes me miss my old boss (who I’ll refer to as John Doe).

‘ John is the Director of a midsized Community Center that specializes in child care, including the Early Learning Center (infants, toddlers, and preschool), the After School Program (Out of School Time Programming and Project Based Learning for students 5-12), and a Teen Entrepreneurial Program.  The center also has a full sized indoor pool, a full time gym, a senior center, a  large computer lab and Technology/Workforce Development classroom for adults.  I was a member of the firm for five years. I directly under John for three years and ran the After School Program. If I had to rate John using the exercise in our text, I’d give him the following rating.

Key

1=Strongly Disagree        2=Disagree         3=Neutral            4=Agree               5=Strongly Agree

Characteristic	Rating
Articulate	3
Perceptive	4
Self-Confident	5
Self-Assured	5
Persistent	3
Determined	4
Trustworthy	5
Dependable	5
Friendly	5
Outgoing	5
Conscientious	4
Diligent	3
Sensitive	2
Empathic	3

 

                To be honest, when I first met John, I wasn’t that impressed.  He had been hired because he was a best friend of the CEO. John was outgoing and loud.  He seemed to everywhere.  I didn’t appreciate that.  I would turn around and wonder, “Why are you here?”  “What do you need that can’t wait til 6:00pm?”  Especially because he just watched.  We were in the process of preparing for summer camp.  (We get about 100 more kids at that time.)  Because he didn’t have any child care experience, I did all of the scheduling, all of the training, planned all of the special events, etc.  He seemed to be in the way.  The first summer camp meeting, John screamed at about half the staff.  He went down the line and yelled at them, listing their faults.  I was simultaneously scared that I’d be next on the hit list, shocked that no one-his boss had come to the staff meeting- had stopped this behavior, and was very embarrassed for my coworkers.  We were off to a rocky start.  However, although it wasn’t they way I would have gone about it, the staff he yelled at were the ones who needed to shift their behavior. I understood his frustration.  (He later apologized to them individually.)  Up until then, when mangers made mistakes, they never admitted it.  That surprised everyone.  Northouse states that good leaders are willing to accept the consequences of their actions.  He also states that leaders take responsibility. John did both.

                Still, things didn’t get much better.  Summer camp ended and all of the learning programs began.  At the kick off meeting, people greeted their assignments and new standards with hostility.  As John stated, “I dug latrines in the army with a group of men who weren’t as miserable as this.”  He was right, and it also broke the ice.

                At the same time, I was given more responsibility.  John and I were thrown together more and more.  I also realized that the center had gone through five directors in the previous five years, and it was well known that his connections had gotten him the job.  People were expecting him to be terrible.  They were expecting him to leave.  They weren’t expecting him to want to stay.   John had a lot of pressure from the top to succeed, but he didn’t have any support from the central office. He inherited a jaded staff.  John surprised everyone though.  He gave everyone a five year commitment.  About three months in, at one of the weekly staff meetings, he told the group that he knew they had been through a lot, but they could count on him to stay for at least five years and to care, and that he needed them.  Northouse states one of the traits that was positively associated with leadership was: persistence in pursuit of goals, the ability to influence other people’s behavior, and the capacity to structure social interaction systems to the purpose at hand. (2010)  John proved that he was persistent.  He also was good at reading the underlying situations and used that to influence their behavior. The staff had been at the center for a long time.  One had been there for 18 years, another 13. They  felt unappreciated.  There were a lot of hurt feelings from previous administrations, but there were also a number of bad habits to be broken. John began to play checkers, with the kids, with the staff. John said how things were going to be and jumped over his opponent. Co-workers were expected to get better at their game, or he would find a new player. (That was the analogy he used.) John had a way of making everyone feel important, but he didn’t tolerate frustration and delays well. He understood delays from outside sources, but he didn’t suffer fools well.  The staff were given responsibilities and expected to live up to them.

                John was very open. He was curious.  Northouse states that openness is an important trait. (2010) Although John wasn’t very creative, he surrounded himself with people who were.  He admitted his weaknesses and tried to find people who would complement them.  He was also open to new ideas.  He hardly ever said no, when I wanted to do big things.  For example, I wanted to put Spider-Man on trial, film a Court TV style movie about the experience and take the kids to New York to view the crime scenes.  He just asked me how we were going to raise them money.  I wanted my five year olds to write and stage their own rock opera, he asked “when do rehearsals start?”  If John and I disagreed, we talked things out. 

                John could be counted on to act with integrity. He did what he thought was right.  He was honest. “Integrity makes a leader believable and worthy of our trust.”  (Northouse  2010) Overtime, not just the staff, but the children, the parents, and the community members came to rely on John’s judgement.  John was also quite social.  Sociability is the leader’s inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships. Leaders who demonstrate this trait are friendly, outgoing, courteous, and diplomatic.  They have strong interpersonal skills. (Northouse 2010)  John set up teambuilding events.  He organized night outs, baseball games, and other trips.  He recognized that our work with the kids-there were always two teachers in each classroom-was influenced by our relationships with each other. The stronger the bonds between us were, the stronger our teaching unit would be.

                One of the areas where Northouse and John don’t meet is in the agreeableness area.  Northouse defines agreeableness by the tendency to be accepting, conforming, trusting, and nurturing. (Northouse 2010) John told me yes a lot, but I was able to show him plans, and spreadsheets, and invitations.  But John wasn’t a conformist.  He would take a look at the other sites, and things that were acceptable and fine and “one up them.” I really enjoyed this trait though. I’m extremely competive. And, I was determined to have the best lessons in the city! Our energy and competitive spirit fed off of each other. (I don’t know that my other co-workers felt that same drive.)  He pushed the envelope.  He had about two people he really trusted to be honest with him and to get the job done.  John was nurturing to a point. He wasn’t a “there-there, everything will be okay nurturer.” But he was a let’s nurture your potentital nurturer. Every complement had a qualifier.  Every that was the best _________., I loved how you________, would be accompanied by a “but why didn’t you try ____” or “know what would have made it better?”  I appreciated that though.  It forced me to think the way that he would to do everything I could to not have the qualifiers.  It made me better at what I did.  John was taking a night class for a child certification with three of the After School Staff.  The teachers would come back and say, “He used you as an example in class.  He loved how you_____.”  I asked him about that.  He said that every manager, every leader knows how to get the best out of their employees.  John realized that I like challenging myself, and that I was very competitive, and while other people needed a pat on the back, I needed the criticism.  He said that he couldn’t give me all complements because I wouldn’t appreciate them.  He was right.  According to Norhouse, emotional intelligence is the interplay between our thinking and emotions.  (Northouse 2010) Good leaders have emotional intelligence.  John saw how his staff perceived input and expressed emotions. He was able to manage relationships with staff members individually and to manage relationships (or at least guide them) within out group.

      I know it’s only been a day. And, really it’s not fair to judge anyone by them. The new CEO is still getting a sense of what his job actually entails and how we all fit in, but in a way he seems almost to cautious to be a great leader.  We have a board that moves slow and is cautious.  But I was hoping for someone with more enthusiasm, a do-er.  I have all of these plans. I’m waiting.  Caution is a good thing. Leaders can’t be devil may care. But he seems more like a chess player. He’ll anyalze the board for hours and hours. I’m more of a checkers player. Look at the board, make the best possible move, and jump. I guess I’m going to have to learn some new moves.