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Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"

Inspiration or perspiration?

Forget sweat shop leadership, the best managers listen to their employees. Nick Pandya reports

Where have all the leaders gone? Awol is the answer, according to a study this week which shows that most of us despair of meeting a manager who also qualifies as a leader.
The study by the Chartered Management Institute argues that a lack of inspiration stifles UK businesses. It says workers and line managers are calling out for corporate leaders who inspire their staff. But a survey by the institute shows that fewer than four employees in 10 claim to see any evidence of inspiring leadership at work.
The report, Inspired Leadership, An Insight Into People Who Inspire Exceptional Performance, identifies the three main characteristics that employees long to see. Genuine shared vision from executives mattered to 79% of the workers polled, with 77% saying that they would like to see their leaders showing confidence and trust in staff teams. Some 73% of the respondents were seeking respect from line managers and customers.
The single most important factor that a majority of employees would like to see in their leader is "inspiration". However, only one in 10 respondents felt that they witnessed this elusive quality at work.
Six out of 10 employees in the study, which was commissioned by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), reported that their managing director or chief executive was out of touch with how staff feel. Only 40% said the head of their organisation chatted to employees and fewer than one-fifth (19%) experienced an open-door policy.
Nigel Crouch, a consultant working in the DTI's innovation unit, says: "In the incredibly fast-changing world in which we all operate today, the really successful organisations are those that innovate most effectively. And the key to effective innovation is genuinely involving as many of your people as possible in how you take the business forward together, which requires truly inspirational leadership from the top team down."
Among the corporate leaders identified by the DTI is Mark Constantine, chief executive and co-founder of Lush, the natural cosmetics business. The hand-made beauty products chain opened its first shop in Poole, Dorset, in 1994, with a second one in London soon after. Today Lush has more than 100 outlets and mail order operations in Canada, Australia, Italy and Japan.
Mr Constantine says: "At Lush everyone is allowed to have ideas, not just the senior management team. I ask everyone on the shop floor to tell us how to do things better, and respect what they have to say. Then I provide the resources to ensure that the solutions are delivered.
"My idea is to give our people the freedom and support to get on with their job. For example, store managers control their own budgets and all staff have the freedom to test new ideas and ways of working. This may sound like a load of soft soap but I believe that the challenge for today's business leaders is to provide a working environment where people can realise their full potential."


co-founder - wspólzałożyciel
commission - zlecać, dawać zlecenie
elusive - nieuchwytny
ensure - zapewniać
executive - kierownik, dyrektor
genuine - oryginalny, autentyczny, szczery
genuinely - szczerze, naprawdę, autentycznie
innovate - wprowadzać innowacje
matter - mieć znaczenie
open-door policy - polityka otwartych drzwi
outlet - sklep, punkt sprzedaży
policy - polityka, linia postępowania, taktyka
poll - ankietować
potential - potencjał, możliwości
provide - dostarczać
resource - środek zaradczy, pomysłowość, ratunek
solution - rozwiązanie
stifle - dusić, dławić, tłumić

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