Leadership Lessons - Don't Be A Jerk!

1-Hire the best you can afford, 2-Give them resources and remove obstacles, and 3-Don't be a jerk. These were the leadership lessons from Dr. Brent Hales, director of Penn State Extension when he spoke to Pa RULE XVIII last month. Of the things I heard that weekend, this has recirculated in my thought process most.

There is no doubt an organization should hire the best…but do we often think about the affordability aspect? Perhaps because I work in government this one resonates with me. Set salary ranges and starting points are often a limiting factor on who will be interested in a position, but it’s still imperative to hire the best person for the need within that salary limit. If there is no “best” in that salary range, is it worth the battle to get that changed?

I love Dr. Hales’ second point, and the pairing of resource and obstacle. Considering the resources a new hire will need, from a computer to introductions to the right people, is commonplace. But what about the stumbling blocks? Perhaps there were barriers for the last person in the position and that’s part of why they left. Have those obstacles been removed, minimized, or mitigated? Staff needs tools to do their work, but clearing the path to the end goal is also critical. It’s more difficult than getting someone a stapler, but those already in the organization are the ones who need to identify and remove barriers for their new hire to be successful.

Don’t be a jerk! Of course. No, really. With this, we all need to keep in mind that the other person gets to decide if someone was a jerk. I would guess most of us have a mental list of who was a jerk in the workplace, and it’s hard to get off such a list. Close to this lesson is the age-old advice to not burn bridges, as you never know when they will be useful again. 

Thanks for the pointers Dr. Hales, and to the former boss who told them to you – thanks also! Looking forward to the next RULE institute later this month and its takeaways.  

#PaRULE #rule #pennstate #professional learning #leadershipdevelopment

https://extension.psu.edu/programs/rule