The Changing Role of Managers and Executives

In the interview called Death of Command and Control the former COO of Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Rod Collins explained why the old system of hierarchical management and controls just doesn't work in today's age... it's too slow. Getting to market is a whole lot faster when the entire team is clear about what needs to be done to achieve the goal and the systems are in place to support collaborative leadership. The prevailing notion once was that consultation takes too long. This is probably the one reason why there is such an attachment to managerial control. Old habits die hard.

It is not the manager's fault. Once upon a time the orders came from on high. Middle managers made sense out of the edict and then everyone kicked into high gear to make it all happen. The flow was up and down ... or so it seemed. Now we know that it doesn't work like that. Thirty years of social action research tells us that getting things done involves letting go vertically so things can do what they do so well horizontally. The achievement of goals always involves members of the employee's network who are outside the company. Try controlling that.

What about engaging employees? Social action research tells us that collaboration and innovation is natural. Yet most company culture's are focused on rewards and incentives missing the whole point. The systems and processes fail to tap into what matters for the manager and focus on what they think 'should' matter. This gap gets even more accelerated between CEO's and the executive management team who ignore the cues of the existing culture and impose assumptions about what 'should' work.

All this means that the role for manager's and executives has changed from barking orders to setting direction and creating clear goals. Then it is about getting out of the way. This is where it gets tricky and there are two parts to the scenario.

1) IF the role of a manager has been to control and the need to be in charge is key to feeding one's ego, getting out of the way is either not going to happen or be intermittent. This is really true of Boomers who have learned to 'suck it up' so they feel one way and act another. When feeling and action have been reconciled so what manager's feel inspired to do and actually do will things start to rock and roll. Horses do a masterful job of pointing out where things aren't in alignment. Self-awareness is the other enlightened leader's ally.

2) Managers prefer to contribute in an inspired way but are treated mechanically by outmoded notions that the employee needs to be motivated. Not any more. Now employees need to be inspired to contribute. When they are all revved up and ready to go, and then run smack into cultural barriers, it deflates the tires pretty quickly.

The elements of self-actualized leadership that this triggers are self-identity (who are you without your roles and clothes to define you) and self-security (what value do you feel you have without the title, position, yada yada). This is a time when leaders need to go deep into themselves to uncover any unresolved personal issues. Without the know-how to spot the place to stop, reflect before acting, managers and executives will be too tempted to put their fingers in the pie trying to add flavour when it is better left alone. Everyone is a leader. Drucker said "Leaders are grown not made."

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