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 An incident occurred during my senior year in high school that still brings a smile to my face today. It involves a brand spanking new gym teacher and a quick-witted friend of mine named David McCalla. Picture the scene - the first day of school, spring 1974. Twenty boys are "lined up on the black line" dressed in white gym shorts, white socks, white gym shoes, and white T-Shirts. The new coach takes roll and then asks the simple question, "Do you guys know of anyone else who is supposed to be in this class?" McCalla, God love him, says, "Yeah coach, Eugene Debs is supposed to be here." David had a reputation of being a kidder, so all the boys in the gym class knew immediately that Eugene Debs was fictional. However, we watched with glee as the coach jotted the name Eugene Debs into his roll book.
Predictably, and to the delight of the class, the new coach would call roll every week and Debs would never answer, "here" like the rest of us. Then the coach would look up and ask, "Where's Debs?" Each of us took turns answering, "He's sick coach" or "His sister broke her arm" or "He got sent to the office." Needless to say, we had a blast for the rest of the year making up reasons why Debs couldn't make it to gym class.
Why does this story make me smile? Why does it make you smile? I think it has to do with the fact that teachers in my generation, especially gym teachers, could make your day miserable. Whether it was through extra laps around the gym for laughing while the finer points of fencing were being explained, or with push ups "until I say stop" for being smart in class, I remember thinking teachers had the ability to ruin my life.
The gym teacher icon is similar in many ways to leaders in business who overlead. These types of leaders insist on having things their way, checking and double-checking all the details. Punishing others on a whim and keeping everyone on such a short leash that they never get a chance to show their creative side, make a decision, or make the impact of which they are capable.
In my classes, I teach the Situational Leadership Model which is based on the belief that good leaders vary their management style based on the readiness, willingness, and ability of the follower. At times, the leader has to give lots of praise, instruction, and encouragement. At other times, very little is needed from the leader except to convey the attitude of caring and being available if help is needed.
Overleaders typically have one style - they are OVERBEARING, and it never varies. Another story of an overbearing leader involves my elementary school gym teacher named Mr. Patezana.
One day, Mr. Patezana was demonstrating to the class the proper technique for doing a forward roll. However, to our delight, he forgot about the three very sharp pencils - all pointing up that he was carrying in the pocket of his starched white shirt. "Class you squat down . . . tuck your chin onto your chest . . .keep your hands spread shoulder width apart on the mat . . . tuck your knees under your body close to your chest, and then . . . throw your hips over your head like this . . .OOOWWEEEE!!
As he finished that forward roll with perfect form, he came up to the standing position. As he stood there, some of us felt sorry for Mr. P. as we saw those three red dots appear on his crisp white shirt...but most of us didn't! We had all been across his balance beam, and done his Russian dances, and marched in place for hours to his handclaps and his military style commands. So for us, for one short minute, he was the one in pain - the one suffering. How sweet the revenge for the underachiever on the overleader!
My final story on this subject comes from Eastman Kodak in New York. The overleader gave the painting crew the instruction to paint the windows black, meaning of course to paint the trim around the windows black. However, the crew seizing their opportunity to get even with the boss, painted the windows black. You can imagine the boss's reaction the next day as he arrived at work, seeing the top story windows completely blacked out. The meeting dynamics must have been great. ". . . but boss, you said to paint the windows black. We were just doing what you told us to do." Thus the term Malicious Obedience was invented, and continues to rear its ugly head from time to time to torment all who overlead.
Learn from other's mistakes, and be careful when you find yourself insisting on things being just your way. If you overlead, many times those who are following you are not really on your team. They are following because of fear. Give the people who have proven themselves some room - let them share the glory and the spot light. And take some advice from someone who knows - don't ever ask the question, "Who's supposed to be in this class that's not here today?"
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