Page 122 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

strategic leadership in a Virtual world � 101

professional lives protecting the interests of our country. In a sense, it
means treating people as people, not just as tools to get a job done. 7
Sixth, Berry is riding the wave. Telework—or mobile work or vir-
tual work or whatever you call it—is inevitable, as we point out in
Chapter 2. While it’s not always smart strategically to be a first mover,
in this case it’s smart to be an early adopter. Once you are behind the
curve, then your competitors are going to be hard to catch. If you
aspire to make working for the government “cool” or to be a “model,”
then it pays to jump in the water, especially with so many benefits and
so few potential dangers, and “hang ten.”
The federal government is the largest employer in the United
States. The ability to lead the rest of the country toward true worker
mobility seems like an unintended benefit of John Berry’s quest. When
a large organization takes on a social good that also has competitive
benefits—the green initiatives of Wal-Mart or General Electric come
to mind—the positive effects ripple throughout organizations large
and small, not only within a country but also throughout the world.
Such is the magnitude of what “increase by 50 percent the number of
eligible federal employees who telework” can mean to workers and
enterprises everywhere. Now, that would be leaving a true legacy!

` moBIlIzIng For moBIlIty

We started this section asking how Director Berry was going to turn
the ship of state in a new direction and we finished by suggesting that
he hop on a surfboard—which we think is better than waiting out a
blizzard. The truth is that he’s in the right place at the right time, and
he shows all the signs of being the right person to get the job done.
The way he is pursuing it is instructive for all leaders considering the
move to mobility: he’s creating a platform.
The remainder of this chapter is dedicated to strategic enterprise
leadership and considering whether moving to mobility might be a
source of competitive advantage for your organization. Do you want