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Guest post by: Douglas Long Become an Author

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"Edward" (not his real name) applied for a senior position with a national organisation and eventually made the short list. At this point he was asked for referees and supplied the names and contact details of people for whom and with whom he had worked over the past 20 years. Several weeks passed and, at the start of March, he was contacted and offered the position. He was thrilled. He believed the organisation to be very reputable and professional.

"Edward" had been surprised at the extent to which background checking had been made (it was not a security-orientated position) and felt that, as he put it, he had been "laundered and drycleaned". However this very factor was a key one in making him want the position - "any organisation that is that thorough has to be a good one to work for," he told me.

He had no hesitation in accepting the offer and he was told that a contract would be drawn up for him. Ten days later, on a Friday, the contract arrived and he got his lawyer to check it. With the contract, the consultant's covering letter said how pleased everyone was that he had accepted the job and nominated a starting date. "Edward's" lawyer suggested some minor changes and the contract documents were back to the company by Wednesday.

On Wednesday evening he was contacted by the consultant who was acting for the company and told that the offer had been withdrawn "as it is too complicated to negotiate the contract". "Edward" is devastated and I suspect that his lawyer may now become a little more involved.

"Edward" has been caught up in a very bad manifestation of what is probably Second Generation Leadership and with the antics of a 2G Leader. Clearly this is an organisation that demands conformance but it may have regressed to a First Generation Leadership approach of demanding obedience. Whatever the generational stage, it now appears clear that they never had any intention of negotiating and that, from their side, the contract was offered on a "take it or leave it" basis. The problem is that they never made this clear to "Edward".

There can be little doubt that the company's "red zone" approach has infected "Edward" and has engendered a red zone response ("red zones" are contagious.) Across Australia, he's got a lot of friends, family and contacts - I have little doubt as to whether or not he will share this experience with them. And neither the company nor its consultant are likely to have their reputations enhanced in those discussions! "Edward" now sees both the consultant and the company as being toxic.

For "Edward" the frustration centres mainly on the issue of respect. He feels that he has been treated with a total lack of respect by both the consultant and the company.

Respect is an interesting concept. When Group 8 Education were researching issues in education, one of the questions they asked teachers was: "Do you treat your students with respect?" The answer was an unequivocal "Yes". When students from their classes were asked: "Do your teachers treat you with respect?" the answer was a resounding "No". How could the perceptions be so different?

The answer lies in the difference between "conditional respect" and "unconditional respect".

In the world of First Generation Leadership and 1G Leaders, respect was not an issue. There were clear delineations between "managers" and others or "those with authority" and those without. Managers and others in authority were largely respected because of their place in the pecking order. Those at lower hierarchical levels simply obeyed - no "ifs" or "buts". The penalty was severe punishment. (As an aside, fundamentalist groups of all forms still operate under this model today.)

The situation changed when the emphasis moved from "obedience" to "conformance". "Conditional respect" is a hall-mark of Second Generation Leadership and 2G Leaders. In this approach, those with authority make it clear that their giving of respect is conditional upon the other party conforming with the instructions, wishes, behavioural norms etc that are set by the leader. It makes no allowance for the fact that the follower may have no real idea of what is the 'correct' behaviour or, even if they do know what the 'correct' behaviour is, they may not have the ability to conform. It is this sort of "respect" that Group 8 Education's research show is given by the vast majority of teachers.

"Edward" is used to living and operating in a Second Generation Leadership world. He has a successful career that has been built upon knowing what is expected of him and delivering on that. He understands that, in this world, there are questions that one doesn't ask and there are comments that one doesn't make. But, in his experience of this world, contracts and the like are open to negotiation in good faith. Accordingly he followed instructions from the consultant and went through the contract with a view to eventually agreeing on something that was acceptable to both parties. His problem was that he failed to realise that the company was operating in a First Generation Leadership frame. The company apparently didn't want negotiation: they wanted a signature on the line without any changes. 1G Leaders effectively say; "Be reasonable, do it my way!" They are not open to negotiation and any attempt to negotiate will be seen as a threat.

Third Generation Leadership and 3G Leaders don't play these sorts of games. 3G Leaders have the ability to distinguish between the individual as a person and whatever that person says and/or does. The words or actions may not be acceptable: the person always is. 3G Leaders are honest and transparent. If they make a decision then decide that they made a mistake they are open about this: they explain the "what" and the "how": they seek to minimise the impact of their mistake on everyone involved: and then they move on. Because 3G Leaders show unconditional respect to those with whom they interact, they receive respect in return. 3G Leaders are never found in toxic organisations.

This was the key to the diffferent perceptions of teachers and students discovered by Group 8 Education. Teachers gave conditional respect and saw that as being normal. Students needed unconditional respect so that they could develop the knowledge and skills to act appropriately.

The really sad thing about this entire episode with "Edward" is that three parties have been seriously damaged. "Edward" and most of those to whom he recounts his story (and that number seems to be rapidly growing) will never trust either the company or the consultant again. As many of "Edward's" connections are in very senior positions in the Australian business world, this will probably mean they seek to avoid purchasing the company's products or the consultant's services. As everyone in marketing knows, bad news travels fast and it's very hard to regain credibility once it has been damaged. Unfortunately for them, it is possible that neither the company nor the consultant yet realise the damage that they have done to themselves. But "Edward" is damaged, too. Because no-one has yet told him the real reason for the offer having been withdrawn, he is left wondering what actually went wrong - and that can have a negative impact on any person's self image.

This could never have happened under Third Generation Leadership and under the leadership of a 3G Leader.

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