An Extraordinary Man — True Leadership
Christopher Dowswell had an eternal glow about him, abundant energy that transcended his age and health, endless enhusiasm and total dedication to his life’s work which was eradicating hunger and poverty through agricultural development throughout the world, particularly Africa. He was chief of staff to the late Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution and much, much more. I am a lucky man for knowing him for the past several years. I only wish I could have known him longer. What a privilege that would have been. Yet, in perspective, most people go through their years on this planet and never enjoy the privilege of meeting and knowing someone like Chris. Today, I am grateful for knowing him in the same instant that I am saddened by his passing.
I met Chris in his capacity as a top executive at Sasakawa Africa Association when I was engaged to provide matrix management assistance. Just minutes after meeting him in Nairobi, I knew that I had met a friend for life. He connected with people on an immediate and deep level. Some executives are more task-focused. Other executives are more people-focused. Chris was both task-focused and people-focused and he was a virtuoso in both areas. I have worked with powerful executives around the globe. One shared characteric of successful executives? They all look directly into your eyes, without fail. However, with Chris it was different. Chris looked into your eyes and you could see his inquiring mind at work: Who are you, really? How can I leverage your talents so that you can join me as a force for positive change? It was so very powerful. It was unique. It was all about his mission, not his ego.
I would return from Africa and comment to my friends about the after-hours conversations we would have. The sparkling and sophisticated conversations about world affairs were a cut above the conversations I enjoyed in New York or Washington. Why? Chris brought the energy. He brought the sparkle. He was truly a man of the world. He made it all special, instant by instant. What’s more, he had assembled a unique group of people who were up to the task and added to the energy he brought. And the task was always grand, never trivial, never small bore.
Chris had enormous gravitas. He was a force for good. I don’t know how many Christopher Dowswells populate this globe of ours, but it’s plain that there aren’t enough of them. Chris was what genuine leadership is all about. May we all be inspired by him and may each of us become ever more powerful in improving the lives of others wherever we may be, whatever our walk of life. There’s no replacing Chris Dowswell, but those of us who knew him encumber a unique debt: we owe it to him to do our best to try.
Mentoring for Improved Employee Morale
Mentoring programs are morale-builders. They replenish energy among those who are expected to be more productive tomorrow than they were yesterday. Mentoring’s considerable contributions to morale and energy are an investment in tomorrow and an investment in today.
As an example, a forward-looking city government in Southern California, with which we have had the privilege of working as mentoring training consultants, has leveraged its mentoring program to build a strong esprit de corps throughout its workforce. The commitment of staff to bettering themselves spills over into the important work that they do everyday.
A recent study published by the Harvard Business Review (January-February 2010 issue, "What Really Motivates Workers" by Teresa M. Amabile) reports that an important ingredient, perhaps the most important ingredient in employee satisfaction is having a sense of making progress in the work that the employee is doing. At Strategic Futures, we believe that this principle applies not only to the work that the employee does for the organization, but also the work that the employee does on and for himself or herself.
Mentoring is as important, perhaps more important, in economically difficult times as it is during times of prosperity. It’s neither a secret nor inappropriate that employees who leverage your organization’s mentoring program and seek out mentors are committed to cultivating their careers. Naturally, it’s important for mentors to make plain that extraordinary efforts to develop oneself are not a guarantee that promotion will follow. Expectations must be set judiciously. The bottom line is that employees who make an investment of time and effort in bettering themselves and their skills are likely to increase the probability of promotion or other rewards, but there is no guarantee.
That said, career mobility in today’s flattened organizations is not what it once was. Promotions and rewards in budget-constricted organizations can be few and far between. Indeed, sustaining one’s gainful employment at a status quo level is a challenge in many places.
However, these difficult times can be viewed by employees as an opportunity to “pre-position” themselves for future career gains. Once the protégé or mentee, has grasped today’s economic realities, s/he can gain motivation from the fact that they are gearing themselves up for opportunities that will eventually emerge. A large cadre of mentees who share this optimistic view and who continue to improve themselves affords vital positive energy to the enterprises that are strapped by current economic challenges.
When you are considering the possibilities for high-return HR investments, give mentoring programs a close look.
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