Hello
In you comments about the need for a driver/and the problems created by
driving, you neglected the idea of leadership. I agree that people need to
feel some form of accountability for their contribution to a project, and
have the interest, committment or whatever to find and work on problems,
issues, new ideas they might discover en route. I feel that there is a
strong need for someone to lead without driving. I personally have been
in this leadership role (usually by accident and certainly not at high
levels) when I lead by enthusiasm.
A few years ago when apple computers began to market the original
macintosh there was the creation of the "evangelist" who went either to
the software developers or the customer and "evangelized" for the
macintosh. This was a whole different approach to sales, and I feel might
be a whole new approach to leadership. The olde command and control way
creates compliance. Evangelizing is a form of leadership that shows the
way, encourages, motivates, and then gets out of the way so the work can
be done. (But doesn't go away-rather it sticks around to continue the
encouragement, visioning-whatever processes that keep the org focused). I
like the old saying "you can't push a rope". Organizations are a lot like
rope-you can drag it around behind you (lead it) but you can't force it to
go before you (push it). Leading it shows that the leader has to go there
first, take the risks (picture a cliff climber) figure out some of the
strategy, etc... Just because someone is assigned the leadership, doesn't
make them a good leader. Being a driver might "ensure" certain behaviors
are maintained, but being an evangelistic leader puts the power in the
hands of the doers, and allows the guidance to be where it needs to be,
without defeating the commitment of the doers.
thoughts from the trenches
later...
Michael Erickson
sysengr@atc.boeing.com
--Michael Erickson <sysengr@atc.boeing.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>