As I'm writing this, at long last, a deal on raising the US debt ceiling and cutting spending has been reached. Had we reached the cutoff point for averting a national crisis, I'm sure a Benevolent Dictator would have stepped in and said, "the buck stops here, and this is what we must do, now." If you're curious about management by Benevolent Dictator, I'm happy to fill you in:
When I first heard the term Benevolent Dictator, I thought I'd heard wrong. It sounds like a contradiction in terms. After all, benevolent means kind, caring, compassionate. Throughout history, dictators have been called tyrants and bring to mind dreaded names from cutthroat countries ruled by warlords and petty thieves. Put the two words together and it doesn't seem like a very good match.
What changed my mind about the term was a book written by Michael Feuer, founder of Office Max and his contributing editor, Dustin Klein, the publisher and executive Editor of the 17 regional Smart Business magazines read around the country.
I saw the cover of Michael's book, The Benevolent Dictator, which claimed to show readers how to empower people, build business, and outwit the competition. Who could resist such an offer? After I read Michael's book, I was so impressed, I invited him to speak at Shamrock's May 2011 sales meeting. (Michael was a roaring success.)
The reason I was attracted to Michael's take on Benevolent Dictator was a simple statement he made during the sales meeting. Michael said, "The benevolent aspect of a benevolent dictator means doing the greatest good for your constituents: your investors, your employees and your customers. The dictator comes in when the time for talking is done. Building consensus is terrific, but in business, when you have to move from mind to market quickly, sometimes it’s just not practical."
Well, I got the “benevolent” part. But, I also agree with the "dictator" part.
ONE FINAL THOUGHT...
In day-to-day management or in a business crisis (and sometimes in politics), a Benevolent Dictator has to be that someone who knows when to say, "enough is enough." Debate, conversation and analysis can only take an organization so far. The job of the entrepreneur, manager or CEO is to say, “We’re taking this fork in the road, for better or worse, and it’s on my head.” He or she is the one person who makes the important decisions when it counts – while others vacillate, the clock is ticking and resources are dwindling. Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts on the subject.
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