Page 30 - Make Work Great

You . . . as the Seed

There are also no managers who don’t need to be leaders. The dif-
ference between management and leadership has been quashed by the
migration from the point/process model to the node/network model of
work. If leadership can be defi ned as the ability to inspire people to
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take action that creates change, then successful management in today’s
workplace requires leadership at all levels—even traditionally non-
managerial ones. In our new, chaotic, information-rich world, almost
everyone must acquire information and resources from sources outside
of his or her direct control. To do so requires that we get those sources
to follow us voluntarily by inspiring alignment and new direction.
So it is the most infl uential members of the group and the most
visible demonstrators of the cultural precedents who are uniquely
positioned to effect change in the immediate environment in either
a positive or negative way. These include leaders or managers at
any level and any well-regarded individual contributor who trains,
teaches, or mentors others in any capacity. Our title and organiza-
tional level don’t matter as much as our reach does. The more people
to whom our actions provide role-modeling, the more environmental

influence we exert.
This book is about becoming—and being—one of those infl uential

group members. It is about exerting influence on your environment
by role-modeling new patterns of behavior to the people around you.
It is about the regular practice of two core competencies: being overt
about tasks, which means fully defi ning and transparently commu-
nicating your activity and output, and seeking clarity within rela-
tionships, which means being intentional and behaving evenly when
interacting with others. These competencies, when practiced as dis-
ciplines, are the seeds you plant that grow a new set of workplace
patterns.

The Story of Emma
I have been lucky enough to work under some truly effective lead-
ers and culture-builders. One of the best knew all about the impact
of her actions and how to consciously create an environment that

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