In the Industrial Age when bosses often knew as much or more about the work as the people doing it, control may have been the core of supervision. Today, you probably don’t know as much as the people on your team about the details of their work. If you haven’t done so already, shift from a control mindset to an » Read More
Category: Leadership
Leading Knowledge Workers
There are several definitions of “knowledge worker.” Almost all them use a phrase something like “workers who think for a living.” But it’s more than thinking, it’s also making decisions and spotting opportunities. Knowledge work is different from manual work or clerical work. If you lead manual workers or » Read More
Doing The Most Important Thing
Many years ago, I accepted an invitation to join the board of a nonprofit. My first meeting was an eye-opener. A couple of months before, the board engaged a consultant and conducted a two-day offsite planning session. The board members identified the most important things the organization should do. My first meeting was » Read More
21st Century Leadership: Are we there yet?
It seems like we’ve been waiting for “21st century leadership” for a long, long time. Peter Drucker saw it as part of a major transformation to a knowledge economy. He thought that transformation began with the GI Bill after World War II. In 1992, he wrote that “If history is any guide, this transformation will not » Read More
Leadership: Set the Stage
In the theater, the stage is set for performance when scenery and properties are all where they’re supposed to be. If the stage isn’t properly set, it’s harder for the actors to deliver the performance that the playwright and director imagined. If you’re a boss, you should be doing what you can to set the » Read More