So it’s on, finally. Battle plans are being drawn up, or dusted off, as the Labor Party’s incessant internal bickering has come to a head. Kevin Rudd has resigned his portfolio and Julia Gillard has scrambled a leadership ballot to head him off at the pass.
This is spectator politics at its best.
But before we get all caught up in the sniper-ing and underhanded character assassinations, as if they haven’t begun already, let’s take a lesson out of how this has spiraled out of control.Obviously the way Gillard came to power hasn’t helped things, but since taking the helm there are three management fundamentals she’s appeared to overlook.
Communicate Openly and Honestly
To state the glaringly obvious, the communication lines between Gillard and Rudd have been far from open and honest for a long time. What may not be so obvious is that the onus is on Ms Gillard, as the boss, to establish and maintain these communication lines. In this, she has clearly failed, getting no prior warning from her employee as to his resignation.
"I am disappointed that the concerns Mr Rudd has publicly expressed this evening were never personally raised with me, nor did he contact me to discuss his resignation prior to his decision," Gillard said after learning of the decision. That’s unfortunate, but no-one’s fault but her own.
In order to create a positive, constructive working environment, each employee needs to feel valued. This is achieved by initiating communication, listening to what they have to say and paying this due respect.Openly meeting to discuss your organisation's mission, goals and values, and where everybody contributes to achieving these is a great ongoing method to ensure open and honest communication channels.
Have Confidence in Your Staff
“The simple truth is that I cannot continue to serve as Foreign Minister if I do not have Prime Minister Gillard's support.” Rudd said in yesterday’s resignation.
When Gillard was questioned on the personal attacks her supporters have made on Rudd in the past few days, her refusal to comment condoned them. A show of confidence in her employees? No way. Not for her backers, not for Kevin07.
It’s not enough to be content with the employees running your business, you must be confident in them doing their job and make this confidence openly known. Basically, if you don’t have confidence in your staff doing their job and forwarding your cause, you shouldn’t have them there to begin with.
Plan Your Succession!
If it wasn’t clear before, it’s now blatantly obvious Rudd still harbours leadership aspirations and in all likelihood will make a move on Gillard. It may not be in Monday’s leadership ballot, but will come soon and Gillard, like Rudd, definitely won’t have planned her succession this way.
An essential part of any organisation's planning is preparing for the end, your succession. A succession plan allows you to ensure the organisation is in the best possible shape for a successful handover and that all stakeholders can be managed effectively in the process, including your successor.
"Why do i need a succession plan?"
Fail to plan for this, and you may never achieve the goals you set out to achieve in the first place.
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