You ever see upper management start to scramble when people higher than them are coming for a visit? It looks like ants scrambling around, confused after they lose their ant hill. I am always tickled by it. I have seen it the most during my military career, officers of lower ranks get nervous and forget how to talk when they know higher ranking officers are coming around. They start scrambling to make things look the way they think their bosses want everything to look. They change the our normal operations to accommodate the “right” way to do things. Although I have seen this the most during my military career, this is something that I have seen as a city employee as well and the sight and premises is the same. Directors and organizational heads start to look like brand new employees when the overseeing entity is coming for a visit. The scramble is down right embarrassing. As someone looking at all this, I wonder why are we getting ready when we should be ready?
When supervisors start changing and rearranging things because someone is coming, it makes me question their integrity as a leader. I wonder why we are not abiding by the standard as an everyday practice. As a leader I know that doing everything as it is written on paper is not always practical. Adjustments must be made based on staffing, equipment, trained personnel, time, etc. Knowing and identifying the lack of resources as well as being able to give a reasonable explanation, can get you a lot further than to have to scramble to make things look “right”. Being truthful and honest when upper management comes around, may get some of the problems or resources you are lacking taken care of. How can they see the problem exists if you continue to cover it up when they come around?
If the reasons for not living up to standard has nothing to do with a lack of resources, then you as a leader need to reevaluate your team and your style of leadership. Ask yourself, “why do I only care when someone higher than me is coming around?”. Is your work performance only contingent upon who is watching? You should want to set a work environment that requires staff to always do what is required of them. Your environment should be a place where it would never matter who shows up, because your team has nothing to hide.
Lead by example, set the standard and live the standard!
The Leadership Perspective 