Historically we have seen the work of great leaders – like
Abraham Lincoln – who are inspired by a broad, macroscopic vision to do the
right thing. We have seen the work of
great managers – like Alfred P. Sloan – who are driven by proven principles to
do things right. While either can impact
the world, the ability to see the big picture or to be driven by proven
principles is a function of an individual’s temperament. Many individuals are happy with the
preferences gifted them at birth. Many
practices evolved to these differences.
For example, by law, a manager must work within the constraints of a
given organizational culture and purpose.
A leader tries to re-invent the law, the culture and the purpose. Therefore, for a great leader to also become
a great manager requires an amazing effort of human development and
transformation.
For just a moment, let’s look at a big picture view of a
subject that has plagued cultures since the beginning of humankind –
slavery. A slave is a human who has – by
custom of culture – transitioned from a state of a person with rights into a
permanent or temporary state of property to be owned by another person or
entity. When in a slave state, the
results of all work and effort performed by the slave are considered the property
of the slave owner.
Slaves could be held against their will from the time of
their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, the right
to refuse to work, the right to perform certain acts or the right to demand compensation
for their efforts. Slavery was
institutionally recognized by many societies; in more recent times slavery has
been outlawed in most societies but continues through the practices of debt
bondage, indentured servitude, serfdom, domestic servants kept in captivity,
certain adoptions in which children are forced to work as slaves, child
soldiers, and forced marriage.
It is important to know that slavery has been around for a
very long time. Long before the creation
of money, slaves were individuals captured as the result of a conflict. The vanquished people paid for the conflict
through the labor of slavery. Slavery
has known no racial boundaries because it was an economic issue that produces
discrimination. From the beginning of humankind
to this very day, slavery has grown because it was a byproduct of a cultural belief. In the United States, from the advent of the
industrial revolution and the birth of the factory system, our nation struggled
with two facets of labor economics, slavery and employment. Even free men, women and children worked 14
hour days, seven days a week. Many American
have no idea that our cultural attitude before the outlaw of slavery also recognized
the relationship of employment as a property relationship.
The modern labor movement was born of the forces of economic
slavery. Economic slavery is a system under which the actions of labor and
not the product of the labor are treated as property to be bought and sold. The evidence of economic slavery can be found
with people who are forced to work for substandard wages and compensation while
their employer is earning fair market rates.
To understand the big picture relationship we must consider
the ripple effect of the pre-American history of slavery and social
evolution. Many other cultures experienced
the economic power of slaves. For
example, 780 AD marks the beginning of the Viking Age of colonization that
lasted until the early 1100’s. Following
colonization, a process of social adaptation in the colonies begins a cultural
transformation. As the process of
transformation reaches a level of maturity, the Nordic countries themselves begin
to transform and as a result they begin to outlaw slavery. First it was the Scandinavian colony of Iceland
in 1117, followed by the Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Norway in 1274
and finally Sweden and Finland in 1335.
History repeats itself 400 years after the end of Viking Age
of colonization in Europe, as Europeans began to colonize the aboriginal lands
of the new world. The European Age of
colonization began in the 1500’s and lasted until the early 1900’s. Then, 400 years after the Nordic countries
outlawed slavery, the European countries began to outlaw slavery; France in
1794, Spain in 1811 and England 1834.
The United States, which socially represented many colonies of Europe,
did not follow until 1865. Partially as
the result of colonizing the rest of the continent and finally as a result of a
Civil War fought over the issue.
Parts of the discoveries in the Scandinavian transformation
are the humanistic principles of cultures built on social-systems of
pre-industrial age. Parts of the
discoveries in the main-land European transformation are the economic principles
of cultures built on social-systems during the great monarch age. The British and American transformations from
slavery, also built on economic principles, were cultures built on technological-systems
during the emergence of the factory age.
In cultures built on pre-industrial social-systems, economic
profits are premiums paid for the performance of promises; in other words economic
profits are a function of adding value, not opportunistic timing. Humans add value through “techne” or knowledge,
skill and experience. Value added by the
“techno” or technology is recognized more for “tool” value as an enhancement to
human effort, rather than for “machine” value as a replacement for human
effort.
With each economic crisis of a passing generation, each new
generation carries forward the wisdom of experience. Yes, from a macro perspective American
culture is transforming. We are opening
to the realization that the concept of “united we stand, divided we fall” is
not just a concept of rebellion, but a concept of social unification with
economic ramifications. The economic
crisis of 2008 showed how much more we need to mature. Sweden, a culture built of social-systems
recovered from the event in six months. Countries
once colonized by Sweden are still struggling.
The big picture is shaped by major events over long periods
of time and great leaders see those patterns.
The ability to plan and organize is not a function of great leaders; it
is a function of great managers. The
progress of a nation, a culture and a people will require either teams
comprised of great leaders and great managers working collaboratively; or it
will require programs that help great managers develop leadership skills and
great leaders develop management skills.
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