The Myths versus realities of leadership. (What's Happening).

We pay a high cost for ineffective leadership.

Research in employee relations has shown that the costly results of organizational conflicts can be prevented. Forty years of research and consultation has led us to believe that the most important element in achieving this goal is leadership.

However, 40 years ago little had been written about leadership, and much of it was vague, contradictory, and frequently inconsistent with what we believe is foundational for preventing conflicts.

The "we versus they" concept, which often characterizes the employee relations climate in organizations, is very costly to a company because it produces indirect labor costs.

Unfortunately, these costs are seldom measured, and most companies believe they are inevitable. Companies who had always …