PRACTICE MARKETING blog

Practice Management Thumb Rule #22

Yes it took a while but I finally understood why some become leaders before others. For the first 10 years of my big company corporate career, I never understood the puzzle. My co-workers and I always spoke of management as “They”. “They” never did this or understood that. “They“did not know as much as we did. We knew what had to be done but there was no sense of empowerment. Frustrated and disappointed, I knew what had to be done, but my senior manager was focused on managing up, and seemed not interested. After a period of time I realized that “They” would never address some of what I thought were important issues and initiatives. On evening at home I looked in the mirror and words came out and I said “I Am They”.

The next morning I called an impromptu department meeting and discussed the issues we all have been complaining about. I told my group that “They” would not be helping us. I brought a mirror and asked my group to stand together on one side of the conference table and looked in the mirror as a group, and I said “We Are They”. My group thought I was loosing it. I repeated it again “We… Are… They”, as I repeated it I looked right in the eyes of my each team member. After about 5 times we said “We Are They” in unison, they/we all finally got it.

So don’t wait 10 years, and don’t wait until “They” give you the opportunity to become a leader. Take charge “Leadership is taken not given”.

TOM PETERS - LEADERSHIP