The Leader

The knowledge worker cannot be supervised closely or in detail. He can only be helped. But he must direct himself, and he must direct himself toward performance and contribution, that is, toward effectiveness.
Peter Drucker

When Boards Overstep Their Role

I once watched a board of directors make a decision about what they believed the CEO should be doing. Unfortunately, they got it dead wrong. Notably, none of them had ever served as a CEO. Funny how that works. More importantly, they had never learned a key principle: Leaders lead and boards govern. These are two different roles with two different purposes.

As a result, the leader chose to leave the organization. He understood the truth: “Good leadership thrives where leadership is valued.”

Leaders, managers, and team members all join an organization to serve its mission. However, if they must be supervised like a child playing near a busy street, they won’t deliver a strong return on their wage.

In reality, what makes a person valuable to an organization is the ability to work with a clear understanding of its mission and culture. After that, they must work independently and with great effectiveness.

In many cases, aspiring leaders already have the right traits hardwired into their temperament. What they lack or need to strengthen, they often learn during their time as team members. Still, traits by themselves are not enough. They must be shaped into skill sets.

This shared responsibility falls on both the team member and the manager. Together, they must develop those traits into practical leadership abilities.

There isn’t room in leadership for those who constantly seek direction. Instead, leaders serve by: