Lincoln C. Andrews

“ Every order was roared at the men, and generally accompanied by a volley of profanity, in a pathetic effort to exercise authority. It was an astonishing exhibition of not knowing how to handle men, and naturally did not command the respect or obedience of the meanest man in the troop. It was a pleasure to watch the keenness with which they grasped the correct doctrine of command, and to see the discipline of the whole organization develop under the change. Those same men were fast becoming real leaders and no doubt carried through to success. ”

“ A knowledge of this art is of practical value in every phase of human endeavor—in bringing up children, in school, college and hospital, in the office and in the field, and most particularly in industry where men are grouped for the purposes of material production. Applied to any large business organization, let every leader from the big chief to the lowest sub-foreman practice the same principles of leadership, and there will soon permeate the whole machine a spirit of loyalty, teamwork and esprit which will drive it with a marvelous degree of efficiency. ”

“ We could then learn each how to use his personality advantageously from seeing how it affected others, and we would then lose some of our arrogance from seeing what unimportant individuals we really are after all. It is good for the soul of any man to visit some height like the tower of the Woolworth building and thence view humanity on the earth below him, hurrying to and fro on its self-important business. ”

“ One of America's most successful business men recently replied when asked what he considered the best thing in life, "The satisfaction that comes from accomplishment." This may be enjoyed by every individual no matter in what walk of life, for it means the satisfaction to be had from the accomplishment of the tasks in our own daily life and work. The housewife has it from the contemplation of her glistening shelf of preserves, the farmer gets it from his crops and the schoolboy from his work and play—when he completes a set task, or first swims across the river. ”

“ When he has got to know this spirit well, he can count on his men to respond in a certain way to certain appeals or impulses, and he thus makes this group spirit a tool in his hand for getting results. In time of hardship or strain he plays on this spirit to arouse new energy or endurance, and jaded muscles spring anew to life, just as martial music will put renewed life and spring into the lagging steps of tired soldiers. ”

“ Man is so designed that he is happiest in doing hard work and good work if he may but take the right spirit to it. This is the curse of the lack of trust between employer and employees, and the consequent labor union policies which deny to their members the privilege of giving full play to their constructive instincts. These policies establish a standard of mediocrity, and thus do daily violence to the character of those capable ambitious men who, instead of being free to give their best, are thus forced to work consciously as "deadbeats." ”

“ Keep it what nature intended it to be, a reward for excellence which every man likes to receive, and for which he naturally strives so long as he feels sure that he will get it when merited.
One leader will go about inspecting his workers and look only for faults and speak only to criticize something as wrong; while another will seek good work to commend it, and correct mistakes in a spirit of showing how it could be done better. ”

“ They become critical, caustic in their remarks, and finally disgusted under a leader who wastes their time and efforts, who hesitates over decisions and wonders whether to do this or that and how to do either, who hasn't the tools and material right at hand, who is always picking the wrong man for a piece of work, and who holds up the work of all while he fusses with the clumsy efforts of some "dub." Such a leader will never build up any good spirit. ”

“ But the notion is foolish that work grows less as one ascends the ladder of promotion. In reality the leader who is half as good as he should be in his position is generally earning far more than his pay. His task is no easy one. Ambition for accomplishment, pride in success, joy of meeting manly responsibility, and not that enjoyment of an easy berth which some assume it to be, are the motives which hold the leader to his job. ”

“ It is equally the duty of every leader to study himself and his methods, and to make sure that both of them display the qualities which will justify his holding the leadership and will give it such character as to make it proof against any emergency demands.
The popularity that counts, that makes men say they would follow so-and-so through anything, makes them brag about their chief and proud to serve under him, is founded on admiration for his real ability, confidence in his fairness and justice, and in the courage and strength of his character. ”

“ Here we have individual manliness and initiative highly developed, together with a sense of subordination, teamwork, and the requirements of leadership and discipline. Here we find instant, unquestioning, cheerful obedience to commands given in action, and an esprit and morale which make the team cheerfully tackle the toughest opponents. Where any leader may need in his group a discipline of quick implicit obedience to orders, let him consider the spirit of the football team as his model, rather than the spirit of whipped obedience which was found in the galleys of old. ”

“ If a man has won promotion to leadership, no matter in what field of activity—in sport, shop, office or the field—he may no longer win success by skill in using the tools he has been using. It is now his job to direct others in using them. These others, these human beings such as he was, are now to be his tools. And as he won his promotion by training his body, brain and nerves to use his original tools to best advantage, so now he will succeed as leader by learning to use skillfully these new human ones. ”

“ In reality the spirit we call discipline is the result of the leader's whole conduct of himself and his job, of his personality and methods, of everything he does for his men, to his men and with them. ”

“ If the leader wants keenness and enthusiasm in doing a piece of work, he arouses them rather by example than by words. It is here that actions speak louder than words. You cannot put your men "on their toes" by telling them that you want them there. You must bring the "follow me" spirit to the work, and put so much cheerful energy and vitality into it that your spirit is contagious. By keen direction, happy suggestion, possibly a bit of competition, and most of all by example you put your men on their toes unconsciously, and hold them there till the task is done. ”

“ Supervision of Workers.—It is plain that the leader's job is one of supervision and direction. It is his business to see that each member of the team does his part to the best advantage for the general result, and so to know the individual capacities of his men that he can assign the right man to each task. This, as in fact do all the other duties of leadership, requires him to be continually watching the individual performances of his men, commending, correcting, and co-ordinating their efforts. ”

“ Group discipline may be defined as the spirit which pervades the members of a group—the controlling spirit which governs the impulses of the individuals and makes them try to do right and give their best in the common cause. It is as essential to the successful working of an organized machine of humans as is live steam to the working of a cold engine. Its existence in any group is recognized by a ready, cheerful obedience to instructions, by respect for those in authority, by keenness for the common success, and by a high sense of individual duty. ”

“ How absurd therefore is the common conception that army discipline is such a unique affair, and that to be a disciplinarian is necessarily so difficult. In fact the most perfect example of real efficient discipline, and the example most worthy our emulation, is the discipline which a wise father inspires in his son. Here we see the unswerving loyalty, quick, cheerful obedience, and readiness to fight for the honor of his chief that are the characteristics of good discipline and the sure rewards of good leadership. ”

“ Why is it that mankind is always wanting to proselyte, and preach, and teach, and step to the front with suggestions? And why is it that one so readily follows another who presents any proposition which seems reasonable? These instincts were implanted in man to make him play his part in the world's progress. The whole scheme [Pg 19] of the universe, physical and spiritual, is one of development and progress—of making everything engage in a constant effort to rise to a higher plane. Man was intended to be the foremost instrument of this purpose to advance civilization. ”

“ And as it is our pride to establish before the political world the worth of our political institutions; so should we solve our industrial problems and show to the industrial world the advantages of democracy operating practically in industry. Let us show that the spirit and aroused skill and ingenuity of our loyally co-operating labor will reduce the costs of production while largely increasing its output, to the advantage of mankind and the credit of our nation founded on individual freedom. ”

“ They are the boss because they have been named the boss, and "they will show them." Their first step when they see anything going wrong is to bellow "what the h—— are you doing?" in a tone that implies that the man is not only a fool but a criminal. They outrage every sensibility of manliness he may have, assume his motives are those of a thief and a liar—and then expect him to respond with good work and loyal service. Of course that is ridiculous. Such methods of control bring only sullen obedience, and even invite open rebellion. ”

“ Where Leadership Really Shows.—As we watch a skillful boss directing his men through a job, tools and material all at hand, every man moving efficiently, all the parts working smoothly toward the result, how natural it is to exclaim, "What teamwork!" and "What a leader!" ”

“ Having morale means that no matter what obstacle or difficulty we face, we meet it absolutely confident of our ability to overcome it. Confidence—a justified confidence—is therefore the cornerstone of morale. Discipline and experience have made each man confident of his own fitness and ability, confident of the intelligent leadership of his chief, and confident of the ability and loyal co-operation of his fellow-mates in the team. To establish his men's confidence in these three things must therefore be a constant consideration in the mind of the leader. ”

“ Let your men realize that you are right on the job of bossing, and that the conduct of each is a matter of real interest to you and to all. To overlook offenses and neglects that appear willful, causes them to multiply, and discourages the faithful workers. The word or nod of recognition of good work is immediate, and has its effect, so also does the first step in recognition or correction of an offense. This first step may be an admonition, or even a reprimand where you are sure it is justified. ”

“ For all this applies quite as forcibly to the leaders of labor as to any other. Here as elsewhere only those can win in the end whose character and purpose are pure; who believe in the square deal; who are unselfishly honest in the administration of office; who consider the human rights of their followers and give them opportunity to grow and develop through the free exercise of their constructive instincts. Democratic leadership is constructive. It builds individual character in its followers, and stands secure on that foundation. ”

“ Appearance—As to Dignity.—The leader holds his position on the assumption that out of the whole group he is the best all-around man for the job. He must retain this reputation for excellence, and should add to it by further performance. First of all in appearance—in how he carries himself before his men. The nature of the work may determine the amount of dignity which must go with the office, but in every case there is a certain dignity which all men must find in their leaders to which they may instinctively give their respect. ”

“ Public opinion has largely accepted the thesis of labor, and feels that its laboring citizenry must be given opportunity to develop. It is futile then for either capital or labor to fight against either of these organizations, and unreasonable to consider either of them the product of man's viciousness or ignorance. It were far better that both parties accept the inevitable fact of their existence and learn to develop their vast possibilities for increasing efficiency. There is no just cause for recriminations—unless for the slowness of human intelligence to grasp the true conditions. ”

“ We can all recall cases where it was the tone of voice that caused the trouble. "It wasn't so much the thing he said, as the nasty way he said it" has caused many a man to go to the mat. But it is not alone in making trouble that the tone of voice can accomplish so much. We have also seen the cool, quiet tone of a leader bringing order out of chaos and re-establishing control and confidence among excited men; the virile animated tone putting "pep" into men's work; and the firm, confident tone winning obedient following through danger and hardship. ”

“ The last of these fundamental considerations of man, and by far the most important to the personal success of any leader, is an appreciation of what his own personality means for success or failure in the effect it has upon his fellows. In some way it should be possible to make each man realize the truth of this, and thus give it due consideration. The leader responds to the fact that he must learn how to use his human-being tools, yet often ignores the equally important fact that he has to use these tools through the instrumentality of his own personality. ”