Top Down Principle

Years ago when I attended Tennessee Temple University, Lee Roberson used to say, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." Down through the years I have found this to be true. A friend was telling me of an existing problem in his work place. There was a communication problem that plagued the workings. The new people were not doing certain things the bosses wanted them to do. When asked about it, they claimed, “we didn’t know you wanted it done that way.” They were told they, “should have known better and that they would need to show a little more initiative in learning what they were supposed to know.”

This “top down” principle came to mind when I heard this story. The fix for such a situation can only come from the leader of this establishment. If the entry-level people took it upon themselves to try and improve communications, their efforts may achieve some level of improvement, but ultimately it would fail. Such a change must come from the top down in order to work. As leaders we need to be aware of all aspects of our responsibility.