I’ve already quoted it on the Association Renewal Blog, but Guy Kawasaki has an interview on his blog with Jeffrey Pfeffer, who apparently has a new book out, called What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management. Pfeffer is one of my favorites. He and Robert Sutton wrote The Knowing Doing Gap, which is a great book. Based on the interview, it looks like I will buy this book too. Here is a great point about leadership:
Question: What is the proper role for a CEO?
Answer: To develop others and their talents and to create an environment in which people can do their best and want to. It is not to make all the decisions or, like some kind of “sun king,” absorb all the light and the attention.
In fact, sometimes, as the Grammy-award winning Orpheus Chamber orchestra shows, the best leadership is less leadership. No seed can grow if it is dug up and examined every week, and for people to innovate and get things done, sometimes they need some time and space and resources.