Leadership: Don't Be a Dick Jones — Mark Joseph Huckabee

Above: Dick Jones, a real son of a bitch.

There are cops.

Then, there are RoboCops.

Half man. Half robot. All Cop. A RoboCop.

Meet Dick Jones, Executive at Omni Consumer Products. Dick offers a simple, practical solution to Detroit’s 1980’s burgeoning crime problem:

Robots.

Dick’s robot inadvertently kills an innocent bystander, firing thousands of bullets in 3.4 seconds.

This many rounds to stop one guy does seem excessive. If taxpayers have to shell out eleven grand in munitions every time this thing stops a crime, the city will go bankrupt.

Dick isn’t the only one with a concept for robotic police officers, and, without seeking approval from his Executive Board, orders the grizzly assassination of his internal rival.

Dick loves his robot. He doesn’t want a different one.

Dick is a horrible boss. Not only does he have fellow Executives killed, he also treats the half man, half machine RoboCop Murphy with absolute disdain:

“What did you think? That you were an ordinary police officer? You're our product, and we can't very well have our products turning against us, can we?

Without hardworking, blue-collar RoboCops like Murphy, Dick would be out of his privileged Executive job. Dick has no gratitude or comradery with robo-people—only disdain.

Dick might be “the boss”, but Dick is no leader.

Dick is clueless about motivating employees. Robo-folk and human alike, it makes no difference: disdain is a leadership killer.

Understand: people do not quit companies. People quit bad leaders.

To retain premium talent, DO be a leader.

DON’T be a Dick.

Here’s how.

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Wait 24 hours. Sleep on it.

When challenging circumstances arise, emotions immediately take over. The control you think you have you do not.

This trap is well known by parents:

Child does something wrong, parent responds too impulsively, emotions cause an overreaction, the overreaction becomes its own problem—often a bigger problem than the original issue itself.

Leaders: wait.

Give it a day. Give it a good night’s sleep. Your emotions will settle. Your better judgement will rise.

Then proceed.

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Correcting behavior & natural consequences

This is a critical concept. Instead of “punishment”, speak of natural consequences.

Natural consequences result from consistent patterns of behavior.

We identify, and course-correct, behavior whose natural consequences cost your reputation. Or career. Or marriage. Or life.

Note the application: this is not punishment. This is recognizing a behavior pattern that, should it carry on, will end with devastating consequences.

We do this from authentic care and concern.

The message will not be “I’m in charge and because I said so.”

It will be “I care for you, and need you to see where this behavior pattern ends”.

We’re stopping a tragedy before it happens.

Masking Anger, Disappointment

Start the discussion with this: “I feel”. I feel cannot be disputed or argued.

“I feel disappointed when you don’t do what you said you would do”. I feel angry when you said the team can count on you, but you didn’t show up”.

Faking indifference doesn’t help anyone.

They need to understand the consequences their actions have on others. And they need to see you address those consequences in a reasonable, rational, controlled manner (which you will do—24 hours later).

Don’t be a Dick Jones. Be a leader.

Wait to respond. Speak in terms of natural consequences. Be honest, direct; sincere.

And watch the power of positive change.

Mark Joseph Huckabee