Moving up in life

What is insecurity?

Somebody says: Insecurity is finding on your new job that your name is written on the door in chalk—and there’s a wet sponge hanging next to it.

Have you ever met insecure people? I bet you have.

But here’s a bigger question. Have you ever met an insecure leader?

They’re not fun to be with and I am sure you would agree with me. 

Insecurity thwarts growth. Insecurity is always a barrier to success. Motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar tells us why:

It has been accurately stated that when you hire somebody smarter than yourself, you prove you are smarter than they are. We can apply that to all areas of ability. The sales manager should strive diligently to hire sales people who are better at selling than he or she is. That way they can share information and they will both be even more effective. Also, by continuing to learn from each sales person, the manager will stay one step ahead of all of them. Exactly the same thing applies in coaching. A good head coach seeks assistant coaches who know more about their specialty than he does and he learns from them. Ditto for managers in manufacturing, engineering, architecture, etc.

Many years ago Lawrence Welk hired an accordionist named Myron Floren. He was considered the best in his profession. When Mr. Welk told his business manager, he became furious. He felt one accordion in the orchestra was enough. Mr. Welk just smiled and said the hiring was firm.  The first night the business manager heard Myron play in the orchestra with Lawrence Welk, he told Mr. Welk that the new accordion player was better than he was. Lawrence Welk smiled and confided, “That’s the only kind of musician I hire.”  That’s the best way to get to the top. That also helps explain one of the reasons Mr. Welk and his “Champagne Music” spanned four generations of music lovers. Excellence and the commitment to bring your “customers” the best possible “product” are the predictors of long-term success.

The message is clear: All of us can learn and benefit from the knowledge and talent of others. Don’t be “intimidated” by someone with a more successful resume’ and don’t feel superior to someone who’s enjoyed less success than you have. Learn from both of them. And of course Ziglar is right.

I have met leaders who are so insecure they are constantly afraid of being overshadowed and outperformed by the people who work for them. Instead of learning from them these insecure leaders become control freaks and refuses to work with them for fear that their own weaknesses will become visible. And in doing so, they have placed a lid on their own growth opportunities. But the bigger harm here is that insecure leaders repel good people who would rather bring their expertise somewhere else.

The favorite lines of insecure leaders are the following:

• “We are going to continue to have meetings, everyday, until I find out why no work is getting done.”

• “I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you.”

• “The beatings will continue until morale improves.

• “I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression your input would have any effect on my decision for the outcome of this project!”

So what happens when you work for one?

Here is my five centavo worth of opinion.

It’s not about them, it’s all about you.

Let it be a learning experience on what you should never be when you are granted the opportunity to lead people. Give these insecure leaders enough rope and they will hang themselves.  

If you want to move up in life, you have to get people better than you and learn from them too. Never forget. Someone once said: “A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.” And he is right!

(Francis will speak together with Randell Tiongson and Chinkee Tan in a seminar entitled Pesos & Sense on Oct. 29 at Makati Sports. Call 6342204 for details.)