[From Dag Forssell (931027 1145)]
Thanks to Hank Folson and Rick Marken for suggestions by phone on
improvements on my letter. It is much better today than yesterday,
right? This letter is very important to us. (We plan to mail 2,700
pieces, domestic and overseas). I will post it again here as feedback to
Hank and Rick, and for suggestions for polish of any detail from anyone
else interested.
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Purposeful Leadership (R) Dag Forssell, MSME, MBA
Address etc.
Richard Marken October 27, 1993
Past President
Control Systems Group
10459 Holman Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Dear Mr. Marken:
Are you satisfied with the kinds of explanations offered in management
science? Have you noticed that modest statistical correlations often
replace functional explanations, yet frequently become widely accepted
~facts~ in public discussion? Understanding people is considered complex
and confusing, a matter of luck or a gift. The reason is that our usual
ideas about human behavior do not fit the way human beings actually work.
Leading an organization or a team is more difficult than it needs to be.
As an executive, you may be frustrated with people who don't commit
themselves to do the job that is required and don't stay motivated on a
lengthy project, with people who don't pull their weight in a team, or
with the process of implementing Total Quality Management. Your
associates may be uncomfortable or ineffective with conflicts, with
performance reviews, or with sales.
Most leaders develop an understanding about what makes people tick from
their own experience, from the ways cultural differences are explained,
and from leadership training programs. Training programs offer
principles (meaning rules of conduct) based on generalizations from
experience. People expect to be taught a set of rules. But rules are
not enough. Each leader will interpret the rules of conduct differently,
based on personal experience. This is what makes it hard to develop
consistent management practices in an organization.
Physical science has progressed in recent centuries because of functional
principles (meaning laws of nature), which allow accurate predictions of
the behavior of material things. Today's management science offers no
equivalent functional principles. Can you imagine the progress possible
if we could begin to build a science of management based on proven
functional principles, as is done in the physical sciences?
Suppose there is a way to give your leaders the capability to deal with
all leadership, performance and relationship issues by using functional
principles to determine how to proceed in each situation. Would you be
interested?
We would like an opportunity to show you such principles and how to apply
them.
Sincerely,
Dag Forssell
To learn more: call, write or fax this letter back to us.
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Best, Dag
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Greg, (direct): Of course the archive gets a demodisk. In two weeks.