1317 What Do You Think?

The kid has an appointment tomorrow out of town. Se wanted a friend to come along for whatever reason, so that friend is staying the night. Otherwise they’ll have to get up at an insane hour, retrieve the other kid, then drive another hour in the other direction. I don’t intend to go on this little outing. The truck is not comfortable with 3 people in it and 4 is nearly unbearable. Also, the Teen turns into a bossy lunatic in the presence of this particular kid. My temper is barely in check right now and I’m not sure I can handle a day of that version of her. Additionally, I need to get my projects sorted. I’m almost finished with a commission and I’m about 50% done with my contribution to an anthology. If I can get next week’s pages done it would really help. If I get one done tomorrow, and ink some more pages, I should be finished with everything just as December rears its ugly head.

I’m not reminding her that tonight is a posting night. Last time she came in here with a friend it was an irritating mess. I don’t feel like having my space savaged tonight. It already looks like a disaster. I hope those of you who enjoy her mad ramblings can endure a weekend without. Maybe if she’s in a calm mood later on tomorrow I’ll let her tell you about her adventure. For now, however, I’m going back to work. See you in the comments.

22 Comments

Leadership is not for the weak-minded.

I should say: TRUE leadership, that is. There’s lots of idiots trying to hold down leadership positions they can’t really handle, so they just bully everyone.

REALLY? I’m SO glad I’ve never met any of that type …


because of course any sufficiently advanced abuse of authority is indistinguishable from leadership …

Define TRUE leadership.

Or if you’d rather…

What makes any other brand of leadership any less true than TRUE leadership? Are there any base set rules that must be followed for leadership to be considered TRUE?

I’m not mocking you here, I just think that the role of a leader versus the perspective of a leader don’t always go hand-in-hand is all…
For example: Thomas could be perceived as a true leader given he knows how to handle situations, but that’s not to say that Reggie’s drive to be a leader wouldn’t in and of itself disqualify him from such a role.

I think (just my interpretation) that when TRUE leadership is being talked about here it’s less “being able to tell someone what to do” and more “knowing what’s up & having people want to listen to you”

It’s like if you have a boss who is competent, treats everyone fairly, gets everyone on-task & does it without resorting to throwing their weight around vs a boss who has no clue what they’re doing, can’t handle any “criticism” (especially if it’s the constructive sort so they can do their job) barely treats those under them as human, and can’t get anything out of their employees without threats, name calling, lying and general uncouth behavior.
(Yeah, hyperbole up there, but that’s usually easiest for this kind of stuff)
I’d say Boss #1 would fall under the “True Leadership” heading, while #2 would not.

So, less the job, more the holder of the job determined true/false leadership (earns it rather than demanding it) (oh, that’s a nice to;dr version)

I have to disagree a bit here. Competence is not needed in a leadership position. Not if you have competent advisers that you are willing to listen to. For that matter, there are some underlings that need some supervisory weight thrown around at them. Then again, if I am going to take that view (and I am), I may as well go the full distance and state that some underlings need smacked repeatedly about the facial regions before and after being instructed in any task. (A public forum isn’t the place to go further with this than to say that I work with a real loser whose very presence creates more work for everyone around him).

I would say there are several key attributes for a good leader (or a true one, if that’s what you prefer), starting with my personal failing, trust. Back when I was a manager, I didn’t trust my employees (well, I did about three of them, but there were a lot more I didn’t). I didn’t trust them to get their jobs done, let alone if there were tasks outside the main order that needed done (Incidentally, I never liked Christmas in the first place, retail solidified that into a solid loathing of the season. Excepting frostbite, of course. Frostbite remains a blight on idiots, and so is a good thing in my opinion.) Without said trust, I ended up doing a lot more work than needed (Which I lied to myself about being part of a hands on/lead by example work style).

I can see where you are coming from — Murphy knows I’ve ‘worked’ with enough slackers, incompetents and idiots — I’ve even been know to repeat the ‘fact’ that 90% of people aren’t fit for dog food …

It is great that you can see that there are problems with how you are handled things, but I disagree that competence in a manager isn’t important … I would say that the ability to recognize and follow good advice, and to accept criticism from “underlings” is the essence of good management!

I honestly have come to see, however, that most people are decent and actually want to do a good job … from both inside and as a ‘customer’ most organizational failure I’ve encountered seemed more due to managerial incompetence than useless underlings. For example, the building I live in has some really great people at the front desk and doing maintenance, but they are being demotivated, embittered and often prevented from doing their jobs by their (mis)managers abuse and micromanaging …

I don’t know about “true” leadership, but there are certainly better ways to lead than others. There are ways to lead that inspire long-term loyalty, and other ways that inspire short-term obedience. There are ways to lead in which the followers meet a goal, surpass a goal, or quit long before they are even close…

Reggie looks like he is sucking that up like cream yet again. He must think a lot of Thomas.

__________

Thank you for all your efforts to get this out on time. I appreciate The Teen stories you told before her coming and her tales as told by her but I come here for the comic first and foremost above all. Whatever helps keep you going and healthy is great by me.

Do take care of yourself, J.T., sounds like you’re running yourself ragged as far as stress is concerned… Since it sounds like you’ll be on your own today, try to take some time to do something that relaxes you maybe? Stress can make it easier to get sick, and you hardly want that with the holidays coming and all that….sorry if the concern seems weird or annoying.

I’ve really been liking the current arch of the various stories you’re weaving in the

(Posting from the phone is a pain. Continuing from the middle of the sentence where my stupid fingers cut me off mid sentence by hitting post comment)

comic right now. I feel almost hopeful at the idea of some Reggie character development, and some more John and Alex story. All the little pieces are moving in the best sort of ways and its making me excited for more.

Reggie, you got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls! And when the time comes you get the chance to really test the cut of your sails, and show what you’re made of… well, I hope I’m there, catching some of the light coming off you that day.

+5 Nerd points if you know the quote and didn’t have to Google it.

Damn the torpedoes. Four bells, Captain Drayton! Go ahead, Jouett, full speed!”

–Rear Admiral David Glascoe Farragut

Respect cannot be demanded, it must be earned.

In other words, stop being a putz and you’ll get the respect you crave.

A Futurama quote comes to mind here for leadership roles…
“You know you are doing it right when nobody suspects anything at all”

Why do I get the feeling that Thomas is thinking something along the lines of:
“Darn it, Brooksie, I was expecting another year to manipulate him to this point and you did it in 2 minutes. What did you say to him?!?”

Well, it’s high time that Reggie smartens up and forges his own path to success. Also, to never again be Thomas’s tool or Carol’s punching bag.

I may not know your comic or even like it, but you did it right here. Don’t have reggie say indeed a dozen times. There’s something important here. For once I love not seeing it be ridiculous senseless talk.

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