ReputationXchange.com’s author, Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, had another insightful piece today on leadership. She examined the specific difficulties leaders particularly CEOs have today as compared in the past. Her blog piece focuses on the latest issue of the Economist’s World in 2010. Dr. Gaines-Ross focused specifically on an article in the Economist authored by Carol Bartz, Yahoo’s new CEO, on leadership. The article entitled, Leadership in the Information Age according to Dr. Gaines-Ross was full of useful advice. There was one section of the Bartz article that Dr. Gaines-Ross quoted that I thought was especially insightful and worth reading.
How are leaders expected to lead when they are on stage for everyone to throw tomatoes or applaud madly? Bartz suggests that the old model of command and control is obsolete. Leaders have to change direction and be able to explain this new world order to those around them. To make that happen, she suggests listening carefully to employees. Leading from the bottom up. Second, she recommends finding the thought leaders within your organization. Why? Bartz says: “But equally pressing is finding those employees who, though perhaps not the best managers, have the ability to digest and interpret information for others. Grooming these in-house ideas people helps foster a culture of openness to fresh thinking—the greatest energy an organization can have.” Leaders need to lead by ideas, not by force of power. Products and services alone are not enough.
Readers interested in leadership, should read the entire Economist piece as well as the short blog by Dr. Gaines-Ross.
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