Choosing Men for Tasks.—The duties of a leader constantly require him to be picking some man to do this task or that. In the minds of his men this is always a test of both his ability and fairness—and he wants to prove that he has both. He does this by picking the right man for the job—the right man not alone because he is the best qualified but because everything considered it is best for the team that he be chosen. This requires that the leader know their capacities and their spirit, and that he shall have kept general track of their conduct and work. Each group generally has certain cheerful, willing souls who seem almost to invite the task. The leader who is not sure his orders will be obeyed will always pick one of these men to avoid the possibility of disobedience. The shiftless leader will pick one because it is the easiest course. Both would be wrong. They would thus fail in fairness, and, by putting extra work on the more willing, put a premium on being mean spirited and so injure the group discipline. They would do better to choose the lazy or sullen ones for the extra work, thus putting the premium on cheerfulness, and showing that they had a sense of justice and an ability to run the team.
Cheerfulness, a Responsibility.—It is plain that men cannot do good work in an atmosphere of gloom. In fact in happy Burma, "The Land of Mandalay," the people refuse to work at all unless things are cheerful; and the best labor boss there is he who can crack the most jokes and keep his menchuckling. That has its application even in handling stoical Anglo-Saxons—"Angry Saxons" as one of our colored soldiers called it. Elastic muscles, alert minds, superior energy and endurance come from cheerful spirits and happy hearts. That group is unfortunate which does not contain at least one indomitable soul (generally Irish) who will joke and jolly the crowd along through hardships and to far greater accomplishment. You know why the bo's'n always leads the sailors in a swinging song or in cheering as they haul the heavy sheet. He puts this spirit into them for the greater exertions they will make. One group of marching soldiers will sing and joke themselves happily into camp, when other grim and silent ones will barely drag themselves in for their fatigue. Yet true as all this is there are leaders who sacrifice it by such surly, inconsiderate, dominating control as to keep their men sore and heavy-hearted, discouraged with themselves and the work, and indifferent to results. These leaders create an atmosphere of impenetrable gloom, and then expect the impossible in demanding good work. Cheerfulness and hopefulness must always emanate from the leader—no possible hardship or obstacle may justify his failing to radiate these helpful qualities. They shine out from a character too strong and resourceful to be overcome by anyobstacle, too confident of the excellence of his men and their ability to overcome it to be other than cheerful in meeting it. You will find occasions when it will test your own courage, physical fitness and vitality to do this; for you must give of your spirit to put spirit into the men, and by the sheer force of your cheerful dominance over the adversity,leadthem through to a happy conclusion.
Growling Permissible.—As to growling and "kicking agin the government," it all depends on who does it and how he does it. A certain amount of thus letting off steam seems good for the soul of man—and so far should not be denied to your men. You may ignore it, make light of it, and even sometimes get a good laugh out of it and so clear the atmosphere. It is doubtful if you may ever indulge yourself in it in the hearing of the men. And if it smack of real disloyalty, then you may not tolerate it, for it will undermine their morale, and injure that determined spirit of putting things over at all costs. You must know your men so you may use good sense about taking their vaporings too seriously, and still prevent anything like real disloyalty. As members of a group men lose much of their individual responsibility and become more or less like children. You consider this in judging their real feelings as they talk together.
I recall the case of a French lieutenant whose platoon, just out of a severe fight, was ordered to go back into it in fifteen minutes. He sat complacently smoking while his resting men audibly growled about it and told each other the dire things that would take place before they would go in again. He knew his men and let them growl it out, and when the time was up not one of them hesitated to obey his order to fall in and swing back into the fight. In his place a hot-headed youngster could easily have started a mutiny. And equally true, a few vicious disloyal spirits among those men would have made it wrong for the lieutenant to have allowed them to growl and threaten. Such situations require a level head and a knowledge of the true spirit of the men—and are interesting tests of one's qualifications as a leader.
Loyalty by Example.—One of the basic things the leader has to develop in his men is loyalty—and loyalty not alone to him and to the team, but to the larger organization. To this end he may do much by the power of his own example in cheerfully carrying out the instructions from higher authority. If you are told to do some disagreeable thing, do not try for cheap popularity by saying to the men "so and so has ordered this, and we have got to do it." Accept the full responsibility of your subordinate office, and take your men loyally and unquestioningly through the work. Your team is a member of the larger team, and should play its part therein as loyally and keenly as you want the individuals to play their parts in your team. You should try to arouse their pride in having their team do its part well, their interest in the success of the larger team, and their belief in the ability of its leader.
When to Question Instructions.—Any questioning before your men of the wisdom of instructions from higher authority, any grumbling from you about their unfairness, would injure this fine spirit of loyalty and of co-operation in the larger team. It would show you up as unworthy of your responsible position in the organization and thus hurt the men's respect for you. If you have an honest question of the fairness or wisdom of the instructions go to higher authority first and fight it out yourself in the interests of your men, without any question of loyalty. That is part of your business both as guardian of your men's welfare, and as a loyal member of the larger organization. It is a delicate matter, involving your own sense of subordination, and your judgment as to what is really best. It can never be done in a spirit of brag or bluster, but only quietly in a spirit of loyalty, true subordination, anddesire for the best interests of the whole. Occasions for such action are happily very rare—if your larger organization is in reasonably good hands.
Receiving Instructions.—When you receive instructions from higher authority be sure you get their true meaning before you begin to act. The subordinate with the quick, cheerful, "Yes, sir," and away to the task, leaves a pleasant sensation until we discover that he has bungled the job because he did not half understand what we wanted. Take time to understand, but do not quibble about little details nor fuss about the way in which the instructions are expressed. You are expected to use your own sense and ingenuity in executing these instructions, so be sure that you have grasped their spirit and purpose, and then go to their execution with an enthusiasm and loyalty which will carry the same spirit to the men.
How to Encourage Suggestions.—We have spoken of the value of encouraging subordinates to make suggestions for improvements, etc., of how they may add to the general efficiency, and how they certainly increase the man's pleasure in his work and thus his personal efficiency through giving play to his constructive instincts and his natural desire for self-expression. The point now is how these suggestions are to be encouraged. Certainlynot by superficial methods. For example, an organization which had accepted the idea of the value of suggestions from the men tried simply to buy them off-hand by inaugurating a bi-weekly prize rewarding contest in giving suggestions. It was their notion that for a prize of five dollars some employee was going to tell them how to make two blades of grass grow in place of one. This method missed all appreciation of the fundamental principles involved and of course ended in a farce.
These suggestions we want spring naturally from the interest and partnership you have made the men feel in the organization; from the ideas for improvement which they then evolve as they carry on at their work, thinking how it might be done better or how the team might get bigger results. The only encouragement they need is first this atmosphere of partnership; and second, a boss who has sense enough to give their suggestions fair consideration. The leader who has not the time or patience to listen to suggestions can never get the best efforts of the men, and is doing the enterprise real damage.
Every man should feel sure that his suggestion will be fairly considered and, if his idea has real value, that he will be given full credit all the way up the line to the big chief. And the way to dothis is to take the man in person to higher authority and have him personally explain his idea. This makes very real to him and his fellows his importance as a member of the team. If in a big business concern the man were actually called before the board of directors to explain the details of some improvement he had thought out, nothing could do more to establish a sense of partnership in the undertaking. Appreciating their value, you can make as much as you will of every opportunity thus to increase the men's interest in the work and their sense of co-operation.
Advantage of Ambition.—Ambition for advancement is another of the human instincts to be considered by the leader both in connection with his own career and in handling his subordinates. Every one should feel that he may progress as far as his actual ability warrants—and he certainly may, for good leaders are still rare and to be desired and the truest saying of life is that there is plenty of room at the top. But subordinates must realize that selfish ambition cannot win, that it is only by playing for the team and working for the best interests of the whole outfit that one can win his superior's recommendation for promotion. The unselfish ambition of an individual thus improves both his chances for promotion and the work of theteam. Industrial progress and individual promotion both spring from individual effort to increase output or to decrease expenditure of energy. It is generally true throughout industry that "the great stream of intelligence, inventiveness and adaptation flows from the bottom up and not from the top down, and that the top is continually being recruited from the bottom," as employers daily graduate from the classes of laborers. This latter is so common a fact that it is frequently overlooked. It is so wholesome a fact, so characteristic of our democratic institutions and so helpful a thought in times of unrest and discouragement, that it should be emphasized and frequently brought to mind.
Never Deny an Earned Promotion.—An earned promotion should never be denied a man when his opportunity does come, simply because his superior feels that he cannot spare this man's services. As unjust as that is, it is often done, and always to the cost of the group spirit. In reality there are very few men in life so important to their positions that they cannot be replaced—and often to surprising advantage. No matter what pains are necessary to train the man's replacement, it is far better to let him go than it is to keep him and thus lower the morale of all by showing that your selfishness or laziness is going to stand in the way of a deservedpromotion. This situation is often avoided by the excellent rule that each man in the organization shall always have at least one other who has qualified to take his place.
How to Win Promotion.—It is not practical here to detail the ways to win advancement,—magazine articles are always giving happy suggestions in this field,—but these are general hints: A man does not win by bragging about his abilities, or by anything that smacks of "freshness." The way to get the superior's attention to your merit is to make the merit conspicuous. You may be sure that management is always seeking the man who can produce, and that superior results will soon catch its eye. So go at each task cheerfully, and above all make it clear that your one big interest is the success of the outfit. One thing that so often denies promotion to a keen man is the statement of his superior that "Jones is keen all right, but he thinks nine times for Jones and once for the company." This is too bad, when the same amount of work and ability unselfishly directed might so easily have carried him ahead.
Value of True Merit.—But the saddest thing is to see a man get sore at heart and quit trying because he thinks that his merit is not recognized. Make the merit big enough, and it is sure to win.Someone will find it out, and buy your superior services. Ralph Parlette well explains this in his so human pamphlet, "It's Up to You," in which he illustrates human experience by what happens when you shake a jar containing a mixture of beans and nuts: The little beans rattle down, the smallest to the very bottom, and the larger nuts shake up, the largest to the very top. Thus we find our place and hold it in life's struggle according not to our wishes but to our actual size. Friendly influence may elevate the little bean to high position, but the jolts of experience soon rattle him back to the place he fits without rattling; adversity may have crowded the big nut to the bottom, but the same jolts will see him shaking up again to the top. It is not luck that takes one up or down, it is size—and the answer to ambition isgrow bigger. There is so much true human nature in them that a few sentences are quoted: "Everybody wants to go up. But everybody is not willing to pay the price by first growing bigger so that he can shake higher. So many want to be boosted up. Everybody is doing one of three things: holding his place, rattling down, or shaking up. Whatever place we shake into, if we want to hold our place, we must hold our size. We must fill the place, for if we shrink up smaller than the place, we rattle. Nobody can stay longwhere he rattles. And you observe that in order to hold our size, we must keep on growing enough to supply the loss by evaporation. Evaporation is going on all the time, in lives as well as in liquids. A plum becomes a prune by evaporation. I wish human plums became as valuable when they become prunes."
Joy of Accomplishment.—Akin to man's natural delight in doing things well is the motive for accomplishment, and the pleasure he gets from seeing a thing completed. We all know people who are more or less ruled by this passion, who "get their teeth set" as we say in doing something, and can be interested in nothing else until they have done it. One of America's most successful business men recently replied when asked what he considered the best thing in life, "The satisfaction that comes from accomplishment." This may be enjoyed by every individual no matter in what walk of life, for it means the satisfaction to be had from the accomplishment of the tasks in our own daily life and work. The housewife has it from the contemplation of her glistening shelf of preserves, the farmer gets it from his crops and the schoolboy from his work and play—when he completes a set task, or first swims across the river.
The leader may often appeal to this instinct toincrease accomplishment. It helps explain the advantage of letting the men know what they are doing as they work, and especially of letting them know from time to time what they have accomplished toward the general result. This is the reason that the posting of progress charts does so much to arouse interest in factory and shop work, and is another reason for including the workman in a knowledge of the general progress of the whole organization.
Everyone is supposed to have some underlying purpose, some goal in life—as Bishop Brent says, "even the loafer may be supposed to have the purpose to live as easily as possible." But we do not have to await the satisfaction of having attained this distant goal. We get more satisfaction en route from the successful completion of each of the small steps that bring us a bit nearer the goal, and count that day good in which we have taken one. So the leader may encourage the faith and assure the continued efforts of his subordinates by showing them from time to time where they have made successful progress toward the desired end.
Indifference and Discouragementare the natural enemies of this instinct for accomplishment, which may invade our minds and prevent the operation of this instinct. They come from failure, or whatseems like failure when long-continued efforts show no results; and from getting stale through the constant repetition of the same task, without variety or the stimulation of new ideas. The leader must combat these enemies by introducing other thoughts to replace them. He must encourage the discouraged and interest those who are bored. He may often stimulate interest in even monotonous work by commenting on the perfection of its execution and the amount of its daily output. It is possible to relieve the monotony of long hours at the same tedious machine by letting two men alternate tasks, if it can be done without offending the instinct of proprietorship which makes a man resent having another touch "his machine." Here is the leader's chance for ingenuity—he knows what is needed, it is up to him to supply it. Learning other jobs in fitting himself for promotion, brief opportunities for supervising the work of others, getting better acquainted with the general work of the whole outfit—are possible suggestions.
Justice and Fairness.—Justice and fairness are generally considered the first essentials for handling men successfully, and yet how often we see leaders who give them no consideration. Human nature demands fair play, and gives its best response only in that atmosphere. No matter what our religiousbeliefs, we have to recognize that our best advances in civilization and community living have been based on the philosophy of life taught by the Son of the carpenter of Nazareth; a philosophy which recognizes how the natural impulses of mankind react to fair dealing and decent treatment.
The eminently successful Endicott Johnson corporation is run on the basic proposition that ninety per cent of mankind are good and will make good when confidence is shown in their good intentions. The working rules for their organization are accordingly made to fit the big majority rather than the ten per cent minority. And this policy works—though it be revolutionary. Rules are generally made to fit the few weaklings who are not man enough to play fair in the team—and the big majority have accordingly had to be cramped in their freedom because of the meanness or ignorance of these few. This has been a common fault in army administration. One ignorant trooper injures a horse by running him on a hard road, and an indifferent commander at once forbids all soldiers ever to ride at a gallop. One man is disorderly in town, and all men are forbidden to visit the town. This may be an easy way to avoid trouble, but it is distinctly arbitrary and unjust—and indicative of unfitness for leadership.
This same spirit of indifference to the well being of the good men in making efforts to control the shiftless is to be found in every business and walk of life. The point is that better results may often be obtained by showing confidence in good intentions, allowing more freedom of action, and controlling the meaner spirits through education, elimination, and the spirit and example of their comrades. The leader should remember that fitness for command is proven by ability to arouse a spirit that makes the men want to give one hundred per cent results. It is not shown by control through arbitrary methods—any "dub" can make rules which practically reduce his men to a state of serfdom.
This is but one phase of showing fairness. The leader will have all kinds of situations to meet in which he must show it. It is impossible to anticipate them with rules, but you may meet them successfully by a continuing determination not to act in passion or impatience, and to judge each case fairly with thought for the effect on all. In doing this, you will arrive at the best solutions by giving full consideration to the Golden Rule about "doing unto others"; and by remembering that your final decisions must have for their object the development of the individual's character and the group's discipline.
Surplus Spirit.—There are now and then men of so much virility of body and spirit that they are unable to expend enough of it on the ordinary day's affairs—and the surplus often gets them into trouble. A good leader tries to accommodate them with enough hard work and play to keep them comfortably steady, while the poor leader, blind to human nature, punishes their derelictions without effort at remedy, and gives them a reputation for deviltry, and even for worthlessness. Yet these very men were capable of tremendous exertions for good had they been properly directed. War always astonishes the community by bringing such cases of reputed worthlessness to the fore in often brilliant performance. These men found in the demands of war enough to engage all their surplus energies; and because of this very store of surplus energy they were able to outdo their fellows. Giving men work to "keep them out of trouble" is as wise a saying as it is homely—and is well worth remembering when you find some man looking for trouble. It is a well known trick in the army to call up some wild lad who is always getting into mischief, arouse his pride by finding some element of his personality to praise and rely on, and then put him in charge of a squad of men or even appoint him a corporal. Nine times out of ten hewill react to this responsibility by giving unusual service. The difficulty is to find opportunity so to promote a seemingly bad man as not to establish an unfortunate standard of performance for winning promotion. Such are the interesting things in leadership.
Self-Respect Essential.—The leader has to guard his own self-respect and that of his men. Self-respect is absolutely essential to having self-confidence, and self-confidence is absolutely essential for either leader or man to play his part successfully. If work is to progress efficiently each will be constantly called upon to make decisions as to what is best to be done, and to act upon them definitely. Each must therefore have enough self-confidence to do this without running to someone to ask what to do in an effort "to pass the buck" of responsibility.
In the Leader.—First, then, the leader must maintain his own self-respect—in his daily contact with life and men, and in the conduct of his office. His relations with his superiors and co-ordinate leaders; his knowledge of his job; his self-control of temper, frivolity, pettiness, etc.; his methods of directing work and handling men—all these are to influence and to evidence his self-respect, and are thus matters for his consideration. He mustrealize that he stands before his men as a better man on the job than any one of them—and in this light he wants to be an inspiration, not an apology. It need not lessen his self-respect if he lacks either physical stature, or age and long experience—though both these may be helpful. Superior knowledge and moral qualities determine one's fitness for leadership, and enlist the men's loyalty and obedience. How often in the war, especially in the French army, we saw grizzled old fighters loyally following youngsters just out of the training schools because they had confidence in the knowledge these boys had gained. In our draft army training it was not uncommon to see a squad of big Northwestern lumbermen following a keen-eyed little corporal as though they thought him a second Napoleon. It is not the size or age of the body but what emanates from the soul within it, that makes the leader of men.
In the Men.—And second, the leader has to cherish the self-respect of his individual subordinates, be they leaders of smaller groups or the men themselves. He needs their intelligent co-operation and must often depend on their individual judgment and their willingness to carry on without specific instructions. And unless these men believe in themselves and feel that he believes in them theywill be afraid to decide what to do, and afraid to do it, for fear of failure and its consequences. So by showing confidence in them, by never ignoring them as individuals, by encouraging and commending good as well as correcting error, the leader develops the self-respect of his men as a sure basis for the self-confidence and strength of character they need in order to meet his requirements.
Courage, Fear and Self-Control.—In many fields of activity a leader is likely to be called upon to meet emergencies requiring a cool head and a stout heart. Some men shrink from assuming the responsibilities of leadership in these fields lest they lack the nerve and show fear when the test comes. It should be helpful to them to understand something about these emotions, why they come and how they are controlled. We may assume that everyone feels fear, for the self-protective instincts are perhaps the strongest, and fear is Nature's instinctive warning of the imminence of danger or of consequences which threaten our well being. The purpose of this warning is to make us take steps to meet the danger, and it thus leads us to action. Then we forget the fear, as it generally disappears when we have gotten into action. A developed mind and character, bodily health, and a determined purpose, all combine to enable one toavoid showing fear or letting it improperly influence his actions. No one would willingly follow a leader who lacked a courageous character, nor could a leader hope to carry on successfully if he was self-conscious of his own moral weakness. So we say that both the leader and his men must have confidence that the leader possesses courage and force of character, so he will be self-controlled and capable of calm reasonable judgments in the crises of his work. The leader establishes this mutual confidence by the self-control and good judgment with which he meets the smaller emergencies of daily administration. If he becomes excited over little things, bellows and shouts because something goes wrong, he is not only failing in self-control, but is making his men question his force of character and his ability to meet a real situation. A new leader should therefore make a point of training himself in self-control under trying circumstances; he should even seek situations which try his nerve and judgment, rather than avoid trouble as the weak man does by quietly slipping around it.
Control by Power of Example.—It is the leader's function to be calm in emergency; unruffled, even sardonic if he has it in him, in the face of hardships; unperturbed and even casual in the face ofdanger. The psychological power of mental suggestion is now well understood, and accepted as one of the sure means for controlling men. If you are a real leader your men will take their mental attitude from what yours appears to be. In danger they will watch your movements, even facial expression, for reassurance. It is then that you drop some casual remark, "borrow the makings" and roll a cigarette, do any simple thing naturally, showing that you are at ease and confident in these abnormal circumstances; and your men regain their wavering confidence, feeling that you are not afraid. So, in time of unavoidable hardship, you must avoid showing annoyance or impatience. Your sardonic acceptance of necessary conditions will unconsciously lead to theirs, and save the nerve strain and damage toespritwhich result from grumbling, and bucking, and cursing out everything in general. And in emergency you must show perfect self-control. Remember that your conduct will determine that of your men. If you are excited, they will be more so. The emergency will call for perhaps the most accurate, determined, self-controlled work, and if your heart has jumped into your throat and made your voice quaver and your ideas confused (and this will happen to the best of men), nothing but disaster can result if you communicatethis to your men. You will gain time and success in the end, if you take time now to swallow your heart, and regain perfect self-control, before you say one word to betray your perturbation. Then with calm self-assured demeanor give your directions as becomes a real leader. Directions so given are a great comfort to the men, and assure steady intelligent execution. To begin shouting excited ill-advised instructions in an emergency is one of the most characteristic failures of inexperienced leadership. Try to train yourself so that you will be one of the exceptions, by acquiring the habit in any given situation of being first sure of yourself, and then calmly giving directions to your men.
You have opportunity to train for this in the ordinary affairs of life, and may thus acquire a facility for knowing what to do in an emergency and doing it with calm assurance. In any public accident or emergency there is generally some "admirable bystander" whose mind has acted instantaneously, who has jumped in and done the right thing. Question your mental processes to learn why you were not the man, and try to qualify next time.
Decision.—It is characteristic of a successful leader to make good decisions that do not have to be changed and to stick to them, and it is characteristic of the valor of ignorance to make quick ones that are generally wrong. Of course quick decisions are preferable if they are right. They are necessary in the army, though not so as a rule in civil life, where the leader may generally take time to weigh his subject before deciding. In many cases it is even best that he first take time to consult his subordinates. But in every case he must come ultimately to a definite decision as to his course, announce it clearly as his decision, and have the force of character to carry it out without showing hesitation or vacillation. The impossible man as a leader is one who cannot make up his mind; the next better is he who is influenced by the last man who talks to him; and still too poor for his job is he who having come to a decision allows himself to waver and change in the face of each new thought or development which the future presents. If you have any of those tendencies, eliminate them by watching yourself in making decisions. By practice in the small affairs of your daily life cultivate your power to grasp the essential facts of a situation, to arrive promptly at a decision, and to stick to it in spite of unessentials which may come along to make a change seem better.
Value of Thinking.—The more you think about the details and possibilities of your job, the moreyou keep your mind on your work, the better you will be prepared to make good decisions quickly. "Because I am always thinking about it" was Napoleon's answer when asked how he was able to make such prompt accurate decisions in the art of war. We teach the advance guard commander as he marches to bethinking constantlywhat he will do if the enemy appears in any of the various situations he meets, and thus to keep his mind prepared to make his decision quickly. So in civil affairs that leader will do best who is a thinker, who thinks of the business in hand and is mentally prepared to meet its demands for direction. It is the unexpected thing catching a man off his guard which causes his uncertainty and indecision. It is the element of surprise in an ambuscade which makes it so advantageous.
A leader should be found so resourceful and sure of his judgment that he can successfully meet these occasions for quick decision. He can get a reputation for this ability by carefully planning ahead of time for certain tasks and thus being able to make quick decisions during their execution. But to maintain this reputation he must acquire the habit of giving thought to his work, not only in anticipation of certain jobs, but continually as the work progresses. The mind which does not haveto be recalled from a fishing excursion will grasp the essential details of a new situation more quickly and accurately than one that was far afield when the unexpected happened.
Personal Pride.—Pride is another quality of human nature that is very useful to the leader in controlling his men. Just as he guards each individual's self-respect and cherishes it as the necessary basis of that manly and intelligent response he expects them to give to the demands of service, so he builds up their personal pride—in themselves, in what they are doing, and in the organization. This pride is largely established through seeking out cases of superior accomplishment and commending them. Once fairly developed, pride becomes an influence to which the leader may appeal successfully for better conduct, better results, and for patient endurance of hardship. He will not get it in a day, any more than he will get discipline or morale. It comes from the performance of good work that has been recognized as such, and rests in a justified feeling of ability and worth. So do not expect to get it by simply announcing to your men that they are the finest. Bring them to an honest belief in their worth through your recognition of it by praising their good work, and by making suitable remarks to outsiders which some of them may overhear.Find something in which they excel, and brag about it moderately. If possible make an occasion to show their ability publicly. If your outfit can once get a reputation for excellence, it matters little for what, it will become more excellent—good men will seek to join it, its personnel will thus improve, and it will continue to grow better.
Pride in Organization.—Pride in the organization is a tremendous influence for keeping men up to the mark. It makes them keep each other up—and you begin to reap the rewards for having established it. You see them developing the spirit of discipline you have hoped for, and the co-operation in that teamwork which means so much. Every leader should always strive to arouse this pride. While we may not prescribe the exact steps for arousing it to fit the various conditions, your ingenuity will suggest the ways if you will make practical use of your knowledge that men take delight in doing things well and in having their excellence recognized; that the excellence of the individual should be reflected in the reputation of the team; that out of the bodily and mental development which comes from consciously doing things well, grow self-respect, laudable pride, and an assurance which strengthens the individual character; andthat these are the elements of the organization spirit which you should seek to establish in your men.
Competition affecting Individuals.—The instinct of rivalry or competition, which makes a man strive to excel among his companions, is another of the leader's instruments. This is so powerful a motive that it has to be used with judgment. Once launched in a real contest most men are likely to sacrifice anything to win. I remember discovering one of my young soldiers cheating in calling the hits at the target he was marking. He was perfectly frank in admitting to me that he had called many hits improperly, and when I asked him why, he ingenuously replied, "I heard the captain say we must beat H troop, and I was trying to help." He was so honest that I had to admit that the fault was half mine, and did not punish him. As a general rule what we want from our men is a high average of performance which may be maintained without any impairment of their powers, so you must judge the case fairly before introducing the spirit of contest. You must not be using it eternally to keep the men on the jump, but only on occasions that are worth while. There are moderate things for which it may be used regularly to stimulate effort, as in making the best record for punctuality, etc. But you would not want a man to be drivinghimself constantly to capacity—and so you use judgment to guard against individual injury as well as to keep the spirit fresh for use on real occasions.
Team Competitions.—Competition between teams engaged in like undertakings will not only increase results, but its great advantage is that it brings the individuals of each team into close co-operation in order that their team may win, and thus gives them a better comprehension of the spirit of teamwork. As every leader is constantly trying to develop his teamwork, these rivalries are very common. But where your team competes with anotherin the same organizationit must play fair as a member of the larger team. The same rules of co-operation and loyalty apply to the conduct of your team here, as to the individual members of your own team at home. You may not do anything for your team here which injures the other team, or lowers it in the estimation of your men. Building up peacetime infantry spirit by slurs at the artillery, and artillery spirit at the expense of the infantry, was found to have been expensive business when war linked them together in the same team and each found himself dependent for success in battle on the co-operation of the other. "Sure he's good,but we can beat him," is the true mental attitude for contests within an organization.
Care of Your Men.—Looking after your men's bodily welfare is an interesting and important part of the leader's direct responsibilities. I remember during the construction of one of the war training cantonments asking a bright-looking mechanic, who was pretending to be working at a steam heater at eleven o'clock one night, if he thought he could do good work in such long hours as he was keeping. "Certainly not, but I can make good pay." He was a decent-looking American, so I asked him how he justified such a spirit in this time of government need. "Because I am fed like a dog and lodged like one." It was true—and the ignorance or worthlessness of that contractor was thus squandering thousands of government dollars a day through needlessly disaffected labor, and delaying the completion of necessary accommodations for the soldiers. Such cases are common in every activity.
Each job presents its own problems to be solved according to the conditions. The big thing here is to realize that the welfare of his men is an important consideration for the leader who expects them to do good work. It would seem unnecessary to state that a man's mental and physical fitness have somuch to do with his accomplishment, and yet so many bosses seem absolutely indifferent to a man's condition so long as he is able to drag himself to his work. In reality it should always be the first cause to investigate whenever any man shows a let down in his performance. A man cannot keep up good work on an empty or sour stomach, nor give continued careful attention to details if some trouble is constantly obtruding on his field of consciousness. This latter fact has cost many a good man an accident at his machine, and the intelligent foreman, knowing that sore feelings, grievances and mental troubles interfere with good performance, does all he can to eliminate them. In not keeping your workers in the best possible physical and mental condition, you are throwing away all kinds of potential energy—running a six-cylinder engine that is skipping many of the cylinders. How quickly the superintendent would get after a foreman who did that with a machine, yet possibly never notice that many of the human machines were as badly out of kilter.
In this question of looking after the welfare of your men there are two opposing considerations to be kept in mind. You are to build up in them self-respect, initiative, individual responsibility and self-determination, and therefore must not patronizethem, coddle them, or treat them like children. On the other hand you have to recognize the characteristic of an individual in a group—he immediately shifts individual responsibility to the shoulders of the group. That is the reason why every man of a company in camp will continue to wade through the mud to reach a spring where five minutes' work by anyone would arrange stepping stones, or to dip water with difficulty from a shallow stream where a few minutes' work would dam it into a comfortable pool—and no one of them would do either of these helpful things until some leader came along and ordered it. This need for oversight is true in every activity, and the leader has to be on the lookout to see that his men do the things that are necessary for their comfort and welfare.
This is particularly necessary in out-of-doors jobs, as in engineering and construction. The man may be too tired or inexperienced to see to it himself that he has a comfortable place to sleep. The boss knows that the man's work of the morrow will depend on the restfulness of his sleep, and therefore requires him to make himself reasonably comfortable. Above all he gives constant attention to how his men are fed, especially at their breakfasts. He sees that they have the best available shelter andcomfort for the noon rest. All this is simply part of his job of grooming and stoking the human engine which he is using on the work. To keep the men fit and to work them hard is his job—and the beauty of it is that the more thoroughly he does both the happier and more contented they are. For the hard play of tough muscles and the stern conquest of serious obstacles both bring pleasurable satisfaction to natural instincts in a healthy man; instincts designed to make him a cheerful and determined actor in the struggle to conquer nature and advance civilization. These instincts of pugnacity and of joy in a fight, of winning out no matter what the obstacle, are readily responsive to appeal, and most helpful to the leader who knows how to use them.
In some industries the physical and mental condition of the workers is made the care of a welfare department, which provides proper environment, sanitation, athletics, hospitals, kitchens, libraries, saving banks, country clubs, etc.—a background for successful management. But there still remains the necessity for the personal touch of the foreman in direct contact with the men. He understands all the facilities offered, their advantages, and what management intends them to do for the men—and he is there in close touch to seethat the men get the right ideas and make the most of them. But beyond all that, incapable of general control, and properly in the sole hands of the immediate leader for the sake of their effect on his leadership, there are the thousand little homely things of the daily work and play in which the thoughtful foreman makes his men feel his interest in their welfare, success and happy living.
Creating and Maintaining Discipline.—The inexperienced man is likely to have more apprehension about his ability to maintain discipline than about anything else in connection with taking charge of a group of men. He wonders if they will obey him and is not sure of himself as a disciplinarian. It will help him if he gets a fair idea of how discipline is maintained. It is often said that discipline is the result of the leader's administration of rewards and punishments. This is too narrow a view. In reality the spirit we call discipline is the result of the leader's whole conduct of himself and his job, of his personality and methods, of everything he does for his men, to his men and with them. Among all these, rewards and punishments play an important part. But rewards have a great deal more to do with building up discipline than have punishments, and are given much more easilyand pleasantly. In fact if the leader has established at all the spirit of leadership herein pictured he will have but rare occasions to use any punishments. This has been proven over and over again, and with all kinds of men. In every phase of human endeavor, fair treatment and the encouragement that comes from judicious appreciation of good intentions and from praise of good work soon establish a spirit which makes punishment quite out of place and unnecessary.
A concrete example of the highest type of rigid discipline based on purely democratic principles is that of a highly trained college football team. Here we have individual manliness and initiative highly developed, together with a sense of subordination, teamwork, and the requirements of leadership and discipline. Here we find instant, unquestioning, cheerful obedience to commands given in action, and anespritand morale which make the team cheerfully tackle the toughest opponents. Where any leader may need in his group a discipline of quick implicit obedience to orders, let him consider the spirit of the football team as his model, rather than the spirit of whipped obedience which was found in the galleys of old.
Discipline from Rewards.—Probably the most effective reward is the slight word of recognitionof individual effort or excellence, sometimes even a nod and smile are enough. The main thing is to show this man and the others that you see and appreciate what he is doing. So as you supervise the work of your men be on the lookout for chances to commend individuals. Do not overdo it, fulsome or unmerited praise does more harm than good. Keep it what nature intended it to be, a reward for excellence which every man likes to receive, and for which he naturally strives so long as he feels sure that he will get it when merited.
One leader will go about inspecting his workers and look only for faults and speak only to criticize something as wrong; while another will seek good work to commend it, and correct mistakes in a spirit of showing how it could be done better. The first may by tremendous effort hold his men to a certain level of accomplishment, the second will soon have them all going in a spirit of emulation. Smith does not see why he cannot do as well as Jones next door, whom he heard the boss complimenting. Appreciation of a man's excellence appeals directly to one of his strong instincts, and never fails to inspire continued effort to win further praise.
Influence of Good and Poor Men.—There are always to be found in every group certain men ofstronger more cheerful characters than the average, men who make the best of things, who jolly the rest along through the hard tasks, and whose influence is thus a great asset. The leader must note these men, and do what he can to increase their influence with the others. If he has to show favor to some individual, he should pick one of these men to receive it, thus letting everyone see his appreciation of their cheerful willing spirit.
On the other hand there are often certain men of the meaner sort. They do the growling and grumbling for all, and their influence is in the direction of lowering the morale of the group. You must know these individuals also, and do what you can to convert them to cheerfulness and a will to win. Where a man's influence is bad, be sure you do nothing to strengthen his standing with his fellows. If someone must draw a disagreeable task, it is often well to let such a man have it as a reward for being a "kicker." A leader who did not think of this and made the mistake of handing the reward to such a one would hurt the morale of the whole by making the men feel that virtue was not recognized, and that their leader lacked good judgment.
You must therefore know your men and watch their work and their spirit, so you may rewardthe deserving, and never appear to support the undeserving. In time of hardship or strain, when the morale of your outfit is being tested, it will win through or break down depending largely on which type of men have the stronger influence. It will be well for you then if you have strengthened the hands of the strong cheerful ones and made them subordinate leaders of sentiment and opinion in your group.
Leader a Maker of Men.—The finest thing about being a leader is the chance it gives to build up the characters of the men—to take hold of the personal equation of a weaker brother, discover his difficulties and weaknesses and also his strong points and possibilities, and so to handle him as to make a man of him. This not only brings you great satisfaction and the personal reward of feeling that you are making the world some better by living in it, but it brings actual material gain to the community and to your work, in that you have made this man able to give more as a citizen and as a laborer. Many an army officer has found his one relief from the tedium of peacetime duties in thus taking a keen interest in the personalities of his men, and in making it his business to build up a reasonably strong useful character out of whatmay have appeared an almost hopeless wreck of humanity.
Every leader is constantly affecting the future of his men, consciously or unconsciously. His power to reward and punish makes this necessarily true. His decisions and acts of authority each tend to build up or to discourage the character of the man affected. This is what makes us shudder to see this power of leadership in the hands of ignorant, unscrupulous, brutal or even thoughtless men. The good leader realizes how by strict fairness, encouragement and guidance he may develop the powers of his men; and how by continued injustice he may break a man's spirit, destroy his manliness, and leave him a worse member of the community than he found him. He accepts this responsibility, and takes pleasure in trying to use his power for the better good of the men, the community, and the work in hand. He is in some measure a "maker of men," and with that thought in the back of his mind he studies his problem in a desire to act to the best advantage.
Discipline by Punishment.—"Punishment" is a severe word to use in connection with ordinary daily affairs, but there is no milder one whose meaning quite fits the case. It has little place in our ideas of handling ordinary situations. In fact itstands only in the background as a last resort. Thus in community life the penalties of the law stand in the background as matters of no personal interest to law-abiding citizens. Yet the existence of those penalties and of the means for administering them are essential elements of community organization, and they must be intelligently understood by the officers responsible for community welfare. In this respect the leader has the same responsibility, and it is necessary to discuss frankly how he shall use this power of punishment, in order that he may meet this responsibility successfully.
Punishment is intended to be a corrective. It must be administered for the sole good of the man and of the group, and never in a spirit of vindictiveness or revenge. By punishment we mean all the corrective measures commonly used as means of disciplining men—reprimand, docking pay, deprivation of privilege, suspension, discharge, etc. The severity of any given punishment is largely a matter of the spirit and infrequency with which it is given. It is in every case a matter of prayerful consideration for the leader, until long experience has made him quite infallible in his judgment.
It is possible to fix a set standard of punishments, such a punishment to follow such an offense, but this standard cannot be followed arbitrarily. Thatwould ignore the big human factor and all manner of extenuating circumstances. Every case of an offense must in fairness be judged on its own merits. The leader must judge the peculiar circumstances attending it, consider the personality of the offender, and above all discover the underlying motive. It is unquestionably true that most men naturally prefer to do right, and go wrong only for some reason. Very often some sense of offended justice is behind it. In any case the punishment cannot be reasonable unless founded on a true understanding of the facts. And it must be both reasonable and just, for its one big object is the effect it will have on the man's character and the group discipline. This effect is the determining factor. It is most important that both leader and men shall always realize that whatever punishment is given, it is done for the good of all as well as for that of the individual.
Investigation of Offense.—To be able to get at the actual truth of the matter takes tact and knowledge of human nature. You will be interested in developing this ability in yourself. It will often be difficult to get the man to be frank, he cannot quite believe in your desire to be fair, and his instincts of secretiveness, pugnacity, being a good sport, etc., all stand in your way. Put yourself in his place isa good rule during the investigation. It is going to take time and patience and skill, until you have established the tradition of cards on the table and a square deal for all. By avoiding ever acting in passion and by always showing a determination to get the facts and judge fairly, you will soon be able to get at the real truth about each offense, and to learn what it really means in your organization that this man has done as he did. Then you may decide what steps to take for the best interests of all.
Do not think that this is Utopian, or that it takes too much time. It is a leader's business to have time for just such things—and you really save time by it. Do it thoroughly a few times, and you will thus discover and root out the cause for soreness and trouble and establish a spirit of fairness and decency which will soon reward you by freedom from having any offenses to handle at all.
Actual Punishment Unnecessary.—A pleasant fact is that while every offense must be taken cognizance of, it does not have to be always actually punished. It may often be made the subject of a plain talk to all of the men, explaining what such an offense means to the success of the undertaking and put so strongly that a better result may be thus obtained without giving any punishment at all. I recall an instance in one of the inexperienced warorganizations, where a senior officer, detailed to handle the case of a man actually guilty of the serious offense of sleeping on post as a sentinel, made it so strong an object lesson in his talk to the company that he put the whole outfit, officers and men, on their feet in discipline, and did not punish the sentinel at all. So do not feel that "punishment must always follow and fit the crime." Use your common sense judgment, and do the thing which you believe will best promote the discipline you are trying to inspire in all. A reprimand, with an explanation of what the offense means to discipline, is generally punishment enough.
The Leader's Responsibility.—If in the end you decide that punishment must be given, give it yourself. Be very jealous of the authority over your own men. Do not let anyone interfere with it or exercise it for you if you can help it. You want them to look to you for justice and see in you the seat of authority under which they act and to which they are responsible. This means that you personally handle every case, and make it clear that the decision as to the punishment is the result of your own judgment. If the offense must be punished with more severity than you are empowered to administer, then only send it to higher authority, and with your own recommendation. It is a poor officerwho lets a court martial run the discipline of his command. The good one sends a man to court for punishment only in the rarest cases, and then because he is dealing with a recalcitrant who will not respond to decent treatment, and is therefore a candidate for discharge. The same general rule should be true in administering any office in civil affairs.
Prompt Action Necessary.—As the object of both rewards and punishments is the effect they are to have on the individual and particularly on the group, action in both cases should be taken immediately following the occasion, while it is fresh in the minds of all. Let your men realize that you are right on the job of bossing, and that the conduct of each is a matter of real interest to you and to all. To overlook offenses and neglects that appear willful, causes them to multiply, and discourages the faithful workers. The word or nod of recognition of good work is immediate, and has its effect, so also does the first step in recognition or correction of an offense. This first step may be an admonition, or even a reprimand where you are sure it is justified. But the first step is generally to call the man up and ask his reason—and to ask him in a tone that assumes that he has a reason, and that you intend to give it fair consideration. You may have to defer action for further investigation, butyou have taken the first step and gotten the immediate effect. It only remains to carry on to a decision as circumstances determine.
Symptoms of Poor Leadership.—We have all seen men in positions of authority who are awful examples of what a leader ought not to be. A little authority in their hands seems to upset the balance in their heads. They lose all sense of how to deal with men, become ridiculously arbitrary and loudmouthed and blustering. They try to rule by "putting the fear of God into them," by main strength and brute force. They are the boss because they have been named the boss, and "they will show them." Their first step when they see anything going wrong is to bellow "what the h—— are you doing?" in a tone that implies that the man is not only a fool but a criminal. They outrage every sensibility of manliness he may have, assume his motives are those of a thief and a liar—and then expect him to respond with good work and loyal service. Of course that is ridiculous. Such methods of control bring only sullen obedience, and even invite open rebellion. Swagger and bluster are but a thin camouflage for incompetence, and it would be a wholesome thing for these leaders to be able to realize the scorn and disgust they are implanting in the hearts of their men. Some do notknow any better, and may be made good by training, others lack native strength of character and are hopeless. Neither should be left in authority as they are.
Misconduct—Fault of Leader.—Where you find recurring cases of insubordination, or indifference to good work, you will generally find that the cause for it lies in the presence of a leader who is not good enough for his job. This is true in the army, and must be true in any organization. For it is true that men generally start out on any job with the intention to make good on it, and if many go wrong in an outfit, the answer is pretty sure to be that there is something wrong with its leader. Likewise where a leader finds himself unable to maintain discipline, he may well seek for the cause within himself. We often hear the statement "I've got the worst bunch of anarchists on earth. No one could do anything with them." This is an admission of the leader's own unfitness. Men run about the same, are subject to about the same instincts and controlled by the same general principles. I have seen the same group of men who were all but mutinous under a hard-headed, narrow-minded officer become one of the best disciplined groups of the whole command under a few weeks of a new leadership which embodied principles of fairnessand decency in handling men. The lesson is plain, both to the man who wants to be a good leader, and to the employer who wants his subordinates to get good results.
Giving Orders.—Many a beginner questions in his heart whether he can get the men to obey him or not. Perhaps this will be the first time in his life he has ever been in a position of authority to give orders. He has been the servant rather than the master, in the ranks of his boyhood gang rather than its captain. He has never enjoyed the habit of command, and, unless carried along by some dominating influence, is ill at ease in giving orders. This is very common on the part of young corporals in the army, and calls for experience and training before they can make good. If the youngster by tone or manner in giving the order betray that there is any doubt in his heart that it will be obeyed, he simply invites disobedience out of the Adam that is in everyone. Common exhibitions of this uncertainty are—the sickening apologetic tone and even words, high-pitched shouting of the order, accompanying profanity, repeating the order again and again, and threats as to what will happen if it is not obeyed. These are all sad exhibitions of inexperience or incompetence, and are sure to lead to trouble. See to it that you avoid every one ofthem, and school yourself in the correct methods. Here are some suggestions.
How to Give an Order.—In the first place do not give too many orders, give as few as possible. Remember the requirements of the modern theory of command. Here is where they apply directly. Therefore you first make sure that the order is necessary, and that the thing to be done is reasonable. Then pick a suitable man to do this particular thing, call this man by name and thus get his attention, and then in a quiet tone tell him to do so and so, just as a baseball captain tells a member of the team to cover third base. There is no question of obedience, no thought of it. Your quiet tone does not assume that the man is deaf, or a surly dog, or a criminal, but does assume that he is an intelligent, loyal member of the team of which you are captain. It will not occur to him to disobey such an order.
How Not to Give Orders.—On the other hand you will yourself stimulate his disobedience if by tone or words you insult his manliness, question his loyalty and obedience, or by threats dare him to disobey. We see this often illustrated in the affairs of daily life, where men untrained in authority are required to exercise it, and generally give orders in such a manner as to stir up trouble rather than to get cheerful obedience. This is certainly true withmost street car conductors and similar holders of a brief authority. By observation you may get a dozen lessons daily in giving orders—ten how not to give them, and two how to do it to get results without friction.
I once visited as their first regular army instructor a rather new troop of National Guard cavalry that had somewhere gotten the idea that obedience to orders would result in proportion to noise. Every order was roared at the men, and generally accompanied by a volley of profanity, in a pathetic effort to exercise authority. It was an astonishing exhibition of not knowing how to handle men, and naturally did not command the respect or obedience of the meanest man in the troop. It was a pleasure to watch the keenness with which they grasped the correct doctrine of command, and to see the discipline of the whole organization develop under the change. Those same men were fast becoming real leaders and no doubt carried through to success.
It is clear then that disobedience may often be the direct result of the way in which the order was given, and you should remember this when investigating a case. While that may not justify your overlooking this particular offense, it should enable you to correct the cause of trouble and thus avoidcontinued offenses. You may be able to teach the subordinate to give orders correctly, or you may have to take away his authority.
The Why of an Order.—It is a good thing where possible to give the reason for doing a thing at the same time that you give the instructions. This not only enlists the man's intelligent interest in carrying them out, but often gives him a chance to do better work because he understands what the desired result is. There are of course occasions for quick action and for simple action when this would not be reasonable. So in using this idea of telling why, there are two things which you must carefully look out for: first, it must never appear that you are apologizing for giving the order. It must be clear that you are explaining what is to be done, not why it is being ordered. And second, avoid cultivating a spirit or habit which would make a man feel free to stop and ask why when simply told to do a thing, as in an emergency. So you give the reason for the action only when it is clear that the circumstances warrant it, and when it will lead to better results.
Necessity for Following up Instructions.—Equally important with giving instructions is to see that they are executed. This does not mean that you are to stand glowering at your man until he has moved. Go about your business in absolute assurance that he is carrying on; but if he does fail, be sure to note it and take action. Too many leaders feel that they have done their full part when they have given the order. To overlook even slight neglects is likely to lead to more serious ones; and for a man to be guilty of direct willful disobedience is a very serious thing in any organization, as it threatens the discipline of all and demands drastic action. Do not let it be true that you have gradually led a man into this through your shiftless leadership, whether due to your laziness, ignorance, or lack of nerve to enforce your authority.
In the matter of how instructions are carried out, a most helpful thing is to make it a rule of the organization that whenever a man is given a special task to do he is expected to report the fact as soon as it is done. You can see the advantages of this compared to the method of telling a man to do something and then letting him feel that you have no further interest in it. The man realizes that you will know how much time he takes to do it, and you realize that your duty is not fully done when the instructions are given. It gives you a chance to check up on his execution and to praise his expedition or excellence; and it gives the man a chance to try to win this praise. It is as though a father said,when giving his son a certain task, "let me know when you are through." He would get better results than he would if he left the lad alone with the feeling that his father would take no further interest in it.
Willful Disobedience.—But with all regard for everything on your part, it may yet happen that you will meet a case of direct willful disobedience in some certain matter. Some condition quite outside your knowledge or control may have caused it. If you want to handle this case wisely and save the man to the organization, you must realize how his mind is working and act accordingly. He is concentrating his faculties in opposition to this particular thing—forcing them from the normal easier channels of obedience, he has to concentrate them to the task of breaking out this new channel of disobedience. As the phrase goes, he has "his mind set on it." To win him over to obedience you must first divert his faculties from this concentration by requiring him quietly to do some simple thing like handing you some article or adjusting his clothing, anything that you are quite sure that he will do for you. Then by easy stages you may develop a state of mind which will make it possible to discuss the original trouble reasonably, thus regaining your control and saving him from grave consequences.We have a like case in horse training. Where the trainer persists in making him do some one movement a horse often becomes stubborn and refuses to move at all. The trainer then changes absolutely to some simple thing which the horse will do at command—perhaps to walk and halt and walk again. He thus re-establishes control, and then through steps that the horse will perform returns gradually to the first test of obedience and finds him tractable. It takes patience and a high order of leadership to save a man in such serious cases as this, but you will joy in having done it. "Any dub can fire a man"—you want to do better than that.
Orders Rarely Necessary.—But after all the best thing about giving orders is not to have to give them. In the general case, the better the leadership the fewer the orders given. Teamwork, co-operation, initiative and loyalty of subordinates, all these developments of intelligent leadership make orders largely unnecessary—and things are done in response to suggestions and in carrying out instructions as to what is to be done. We may envy the leader whose men jump in response to his quiet firm tone of command. But do not imagine that he picked this ability ripe for the eating from any tree of knowledge or life. He has developed a strong character and a knowledge of human naturein some practical school, learned that self-control is the first step in controlling others, and that men respond in kind to the treatment they receive.
The Tone of Voice.—Not only in giving orders but in all your verbal intercourse, the tone of your voice plays a part quite worthy of your consideration. It is a potent element of your personality in its effect on others, and easily within your control. It may interest you to the point of regarding your tones hereafter to realize the important part that human speech has played in our development from pure animalism. Centuries no doubt passed before primitive man learned the use of language. It was the one big step by which he proved his superiority over the other animals of creation and assured his progress. For language is the foundation, as it is the agent, of all knowledge; and alone made possible the mental processes necessary for our present accomplishment. Yet we see men to-day so blind to this, so indifferent to this fundamental difference between themselves and the beasts, that they allow themselves to roar and growl and whine and chatter in close similarity to certain well-known species. Others bungle the use of their voice deplorably; so one may barely catch their fading tones, or must shrink inwardly from their rasping one. Men actually attempt to win the minds of others and yetspeak in tones so repellent that convention alone makes us stay to listen to them. It is a pity they do not think to hear themselves as others hear them, and thus learn not to sacrifice longer this natural asset. For half the power of speech is in the tone.
We can all recall cases where it was the tone of voice that caused the trouble. "It wasn't so much the thing he said, as the nasty way he said it" has caused many a man to go to the mat. But it is not alone in making trouble that the tone of voice can accomplish so much. We have also seen the cool, quiet tone of a leader bringing order out of chaos and re-establishing control and confidence among excited men; the virile animated tone putting "pep" into men's work; and the firm, confident tone winning obedient following through danger and hardship. The power of speech is thus seen to be tremendous—let us use it to advantage, and as becomes members of the human race.
The Mob Spirit.—As any man may have occasion to deal with the "crowd spirit" and even with the "mob spirit," it is well to have some idea of how these things come about and are controlled. In normal circumstances the members of a community as individuals are law-abiding and self-restrained in deference to public opinion and their own sense of responsibility. Some sense of common wrongmay unite certain ones into a group for the common purpose of obtaining redress or instituting improvement. This group may start with no intention of committing any overt act or even of actually doing any particular thing, and yet end by being led into most unfortunate excesses.