What a difference the leader makes. There are leaders I deeply desire to work alongside, and then there are leaders I would do just about anything to avoid having to work with – because I imagine it would be more like working “for” in a never-ending nightmare of egomaniacal power trips. Similarly, there are businesses that have me as a raving fan because of their culture – no doubt set and continuously influenced by a leader or many leaders; and, there are businesses I choose never to use again simply because of their lack of service or misaligned culture – again, no doubt continuously influenced by a leader or many leaders, whether they know it or not.

I’ve always been intrigued by signs to the public that include the word “management.” I laugh – or roll my eyes – every time I see a posted sign saying something along the lines of “Please close the door. Thanks, Management,” or “Please have your ID ready. -Management.” Really? Who writes that…Management?

via Flickr.com

The other “management” sign that frequently catches my eye is one that always makes me wonder…Under New Management. It conveys the principle that – no matter what we may say out loud – we all know the leader matters. Still, when I see these signs, I cannot help but think of the previous leader and the current leader and which one is the better one – the one who has left or the one who is being touted by the sign. Because “new management” isn’t always “better management,” but it does remind me that the leader matters…even when it sometimes feels like that’s not the case.