Avoiding A Leadership Bubble
by Miki Saxon
About two-thirds of the way through a January 7th CNBC interview with President Barack Obama when the conversation turned to his Blackberry, Obama talked about his reasons for wanting to keep it, even in the face of vehement opposition. (The bolding is mine.)
“What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way. And I’ve got to look for every opportunity to do that–ways that aren’t scripted, ways that aren’t controlled, ways where, you know, people aren’t just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded.”
That bubble and associated danger, is what every boss, from the CEO of a Fortune 50 to small business owners, face every day.
The danger is real and comes from hearing only what a small group of people wants you to hear; all the news that fits the generally accepted world view and nothing that will upset their applecarts or you (in that order).
Technology can help, but it can also be a way to avoid interacting in a more personal manner. After all, it’s doubtful that you’re trying to stay connected to millions.
Where you can, you want to practice management by walking around, not just internally, but out with your customers and vendors.
When you can’t do it in person, use technology for town hall meetings; use wikis, blogs, and forums, too. Sharing your email address and encouraging contact can be very positive, but it’s worse than nothing if you don’t respond in a timely manner.
So make a list of possibilities and prioritize them.
But first things first—think through your circumstances in order to determine not just what you can afford financially, but in terms of time and energy—yours.
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January 25th, 2009 at 2:28 am
Nice post Miki :-)
January 25th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Thanks, Bruce.
January 25th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Great post Mike,
The sign of a true leader is one who is creative and authentic with their approach to staying connected. I also agree with you that technology can work both for and against the goal of staying connected. It takes a multi-faceted “consistent” approach. The walking around as a best practice is a key.
I enjoyed your post, and would add only that while making a list of priorities is a good idea, perhaps start with the goal or intention for your approach. Knowing what you want (from the communication approach) will certainly help keep momentum as you strive to achieve it.
Make it a great day!
Tammy
January 25th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Hi Tammy, thanks for stopping by and your kind words. I’m not sure I agree regarding the idea of a goal, other than to stay connected and keep communications lines open for all sources, i.e., avoid the bubble. I think that a more specific goal could narrow the focus and lead to missing important stuff that didn’t fit the description of the goal/intention.
What do you think?