Plus some extras
Ginchy: Cool, groovy. And below is a picture of a “cool” item – a 1952 Perfume-A-Spray dispenser. Yes, those were made and placed in pubic restrooms back in the 1950’s. For a dime, a woman could spray on her favorite perfume like Chanel No. 5. (Read below to find out what this has to do with leadership.) They were “ginchy.”
However, this invention did not last many years. Over time, their usefulness waned and was eventually replaced with something smaller and easier to manage. Times changed and so this machine became unpopular and production came to a stop. Eventually they were removed from the “high end” restrooms.
But you must ask: What does this have to do with leadership? Unlike the dispenser, there are many truths that do not change; they remain timeless. Such is the case with the 4 “Musts” plus extras. After reading these, I felt they offer very good advice in 2016 -much like they did in the 1950’s. That is correct. These “best-practices” in leadership statements below are from that decade many years ago.
A British business leader stumbled – while cleaning out his attic – upon some typewritten notes on leadership from the 1950’s. “The notes were handed out at Eaton Hall near Chester, England, during his military officer training. DO NOTE: These are dated in tone but clear, concise and purposeful, the notes transcend their original military context.” I hope they serve as a reminder on how leadership can be a constant element, regardless of the times. They were “cool” then, and they are “cool” or “ginchy” today.
Here are the statements, the 4 “Musts” are:
- “The leader must know and understand his men and treat them as human beings.”
- “An officer must want to lead. He must be proud of his command.”
- “The leader must have his heart in his job and be cheerful and enthusiastic even when conditions are difficult and the task unpleasant.”
- “The leader must be loyal to both his superiors and to his men. He must inspire loyalty.”
- Leadership is “the art of influencing a body of people to follow a certain course of action, the art of controlling them, directing them and getting the best out of them.”Leaders must stand by their decisions “regardless of popularity or of difficulties.” Nonetheless, “Orders must be constantly renewed and, once they have become inapplicable or out of date, they must be abolished.”
- Management “takes time and it requires the taking of infinite trouble … you cannot deal with material you know little or nothing about. Your men are your material; you must know all about them. … You must give each one individual study and be prepared to make an individual approach to each. You must be something of a psychologist.”
- Specifically, you must “put their interests before your own,” “be their champion but also their chief critic,” “know their names and use them,” “be yourself and don’t act a part” and “be self-critical.”
- “You will always have something more to learn, so be prepared to profit by experience.”
- “Being a leader is a big job, a fine job and a thoroughly worthwhile job. See that you become a leader in the real and best sense of the word.”