I'm sad to report that in the past few years, ever since uncertainty became our insistent 21st century companion, leadership has taken a great leap backwards to the familiar territory of command and control.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than have the organization work well.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the detrimental effects of leaders prioritizing their own power over the productivity of their teams.
Margaret J. Wheatley emphasizes that when leaders focus on maintaining control rather than fostering a productive work environment, they undermine both the motivation and capacity of their employees. This choice often leads to a toxic organizational culture where the effectiveness of the team is compromised for the sake of individual authority, resulting in a decline in overall productivity and morale.
Themes
LeadershipProductivityPowerMotivationOrganization
In practice
Example use cases
In a leadership seminar discussing effective management practices.
More from Margaret J. Wheatley
All quotes βIn our daily life, we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
Our willingness to acknowledge that we only see half the picture creates the conditions that make us more attractive to others. The more sincerely we acknowledge our need for their different insights and perspectives, the more they will be magnetized to join us.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
They have eliminated rigidity, both physical and psychological, in order to support more fluid processes whereby temporary teams are created to deal with specific and ever-changing needs. They have simplified roles into minimal categories; they have knocked down walls and created workplaces where people, ideas, and information circulate freely.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
It's not differences that divide us. It's our judgments about each other that do.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.
Margaret J. WheatleyRead
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