I have enjoyed the anecdotes about leaders who get into the trenches from
time to time. I do think, however, that it is not just being in the
trenches that makes the difference; I believe that it is the intention
behind the participation. I have had more experience with leaders who
were sympathetic rather than empathetic. For some even the sympathy was
superficial. Their main interest was their agenda. They were the poster
children for the Model O-I behavior described by Argyris.
I also liked the comment by Kevin concerning the distribution of
occupations, or lack thereof, within Mensa. Mensa's entrance requirement
is simple: receive a score in the 98% or above on an valideated IQ test.
The knowledge that high levels of intelligence are distributed across
organizations is often buried by the culture.
Other participants in this discussion have mentioned the restrictions
imposed by adopting any paradigm or participating in a culture. My
observations over the course of my career is that most cultures seem to
stratify intelligence in the same ways that they stratify income and power
within the culture e.g. the CEO is the most powerful, makes the most
money, AND is the smartest. "Smartest" must be defined. I am thinking of
Howard Gardner's classifications of intelligence. The lowest person on
the org chart may have the best handle on being compassionate, a good
husband, father, and community member. Whereas the CEO is too busy
'running the organization' to have time to pay attention to the human
factors. Even if he or she could take the time, those deeply seated
personal skills may not be available to them.
When considering the success of an organization it seems to me that a
healthy culture is crucial for the long haul. I believe that it was Kevin
again who mentioned learning from those around you regardless of their
position within the culture. The leader who recognizes that he or she is
first and foremost a human being would appear to have the greatest
potential for learning from all others. When the leader loses sight of
that primary purpose and focuses on the more external features e.g. the
organization's bottom line, he or she can lose sight of many other things
as well.
Tom Milus
milus@home.com
--Thomas Milus <milus@home.com>
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