MAYBE WE DO NEED MORE OUTRAGE

Frankly, I was cleaning-up my email when I saw a title that made
me see red. It was in Smart-Brief on Leaderhsip. I skipped over it assuming it
was normal leadership fare when the literal words hit me AND I got mad and then amazed that such a tired old leadership model just won't go away.
I think I have been fooled by the freedom and pace of innovative companies into thinking something new was going on. Mostly just chaos masked by short term success, rather than progressive steady engagement of adults wanting to get the same thing done and everyone benefitting.  

Anyway, here is the title that got me going and my response on Facebook that got other people going.

"Use Soft Power to Keep Your Employees on Track!"
 OK--It still makes me nuts to read it.
 Here's what I said:

 1. YOUR power doesn't make associates do anything. It's their power that
  gets things done.  
  2.  KEEP your employees on track??? What? Are they  2 years old?  Plus it  
  doesn't work for two year-olds either.
  3.  YOUR employees?? NO NO NO NO NO. They are not yours. They belong   
  to themselves.
  4. ON TRACK?  Pretty narrow point of view.  Head down. Follow the path--to
  mediocrity. Please don't think. It's so messy."

And I add:
Quit thinking carrot and stick. Both are juvenile and demeaning.
Work WITH people. Make it possible with agreed on goals, agreed on 
tasks that make sense, compensation that grows evenly if differently and
adult to adult relationships where everyone learns and develops.
This is not utopia folks. It's just actually kind of mundane management for a healthy organization.

Blind spot?  You are sitting on a volcano of potential.  Use it or the fire goes out or the whole thing erupts!!