DISQUS

GregWalters · 1 year ago

Ken,

Good article.

As human nature goes, isn't this "focus on the minutia" expected when times get "bad"?

As the seas get rough, doesn't the captain command, "...batten down the hatches"?

And "circle the wagons" when the bad-guys attack?

And "sell something today, now..." as the sales manager looks at forecast vs. actual vs. the calendar.

Concerning? Yes.

I guess the good commanders can re-focus on what makes sense at the time, without losing the overall vision of the mission.

ChangeForge | Ken Stewart · 1 year ago

Thanks, Greg. I think the overall tone of Rob's article was such that he was impressed with IT leadership at least staying as focused on the big picture as they were. However, his tone was such that he thought we could be doing a better job.

Maybe in large enterprises, the "captain" has the luxury of only thinking strategically, but every leader I speak with gets sucked back into the tactical, day-to-day, almost every day. My feeling is that to be a good leader you must be able to cut to the chase quickly, be decisive, and still get buy-in from your stakeholders (boss, employees, and customers).

This is tough, and I am human. I falter just like any other person would - but I constantly re-evaluate my position and feel like I'm dragging myself out of the mud so I can see where the next obstacle is. In other words, I don't let the obstacles detract from stopping me reach my finish line (although I must confess, at times, I wonder if I am to ever reach the proverbial finish line).