The One-Page King Manager
Back in my Corporate America days, I was working on a product roll-out on which I had to report at the weekly meeting of the CEO and his direct reports. It became rather fun after a while. The game was to get in and out without “George” taking off his glasses and rubbing his face. This meant you had totally lost him and/or challenged his world view (set in stone since about 1959.) A bewildered, baffled George was not a good thing. If you forced him to think outside his comfort zone - beware! The hell hounds were unleashed.
The Setting: Classic Corporate Mahogany Row (literally mahogany). Directional lighting. Hushed reverential tones. Steely secretary guarding the double doors to the boardroom. CEO’s leather chair slightly elevated above the rest. Strict guidelines for presentation format. Minions scurrying in and out as summoned. (We stopped just short of tugging our peasant forelock on the way out.)
After a few times of being handed my - ahem - well-chewed behind, I figured it out. Boil it all down to the detail I could fit on a single page. Then, cleanse it of any potential bewilderment points. Get in, get out. Then, go back to doing the real work. What George didn’t know couldn’t hurt the roll-out. I got high fives from the CTO and CFO in the hall after the first presentation that ended with George smiling (and glasses firmly in place.)
Here’s the thing. “George” was actually a good man and had worked his way up through the ranks from the lowest jobs. He even volunteered to be a reference for me after I left the company. He wasn’t intentionally hurting the business or the employees. He had just gotten sucked into the Grand Poobah CEO mindset. So, if you’re in a leadership position and find yourself thinking your throne chair isn’t high enough, stand up and get outside - your office, your company, and your comfort zone.
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February 23rd, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Amen Mary! I just spent two weeks traveling around our branch locations (13 in all), more than 2,000 miles of driving, and I wouldn’t trade the “real business life” experience I got for anything - even a nice comfy chair in a corporate office. There is a saying that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” - I would say we should change it to “if you can’t measure it and personally see it, you don’t have a snowball’s chance in you know what to really manage it”. All the best!
PS: did you get my e-mail about Chicago in May?
February 23rd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Absolutely! The field is very dfiferent than the rarified air of many Corporate HQs. And, even with the best of intentions - distance makes for both miscommunication and misunderstanding. Every CEO (regardless of the size and type of company) should make it a policy to take a few road trips every year. Also, everyone should go talk to customers on a regular basis, up close and personal.