I get to meet a lot of leaders in my day-to-day work, from C-level executives to line-level managers and everything in between. And I get to see them at their best–fresh off the victory of getting X million dollars for establishing an enterprise content management (ECM) program–and their worst–in the middle of a mess they can’t fix, with their jobs (or maybe even their careers) on the line.
There are lots of interesting things to note about leaders in both of these positions, but the one that’s been on my mind lately is the importance of struggling against insulation:
- From the larger organizational context
- From the work being done on the ground
- From the wider community of practice for a domain of expertise
- From the wider marketplace
I want to kick off a series of posts over the next few weeks that look at this problem and how leaders at all levels can overcome it. As I let the ideas percolate, I’d love to hear from folks out there who’ve faced this issue themselves, or worked with a leader who did–what are your thoughts and experiences out there? Jump in, and let’s get the conversation started!
Filed under: Leadership In Transition, The Future of the Organization, Thoughts Tagged: | leadership
Sadly, this insulation may be why “Undercover Boss” is so popular. I look forward to your series on this, Joe.