Page 211 - The extraordinary leader

188 • The Extraordinary Leader

argue that it is virtually impossible for an organization to change its culture
until the behavior of its leaders is consistent with the values of the culture.
Leaders who were most effective about bringing about change were also
willing to challenge those who do not fully support the change effort.
When David Kearns was attempting to introduce a company-wide quality
initiative, two vice presidents remained carping critics of the program. Both
had been good performers in their roles, but Kearns constantly admonished
them to get on board. By not doing anything about these two dissidents,
Kearns would have sent the message that the quality change initiative was not
that important. He terminated them both and let the organization know that
it was because of their nonsupport of the quality initiative.
How Do You Get Leaders to Be the Antenna to the Outside World?
One key differentiating behavior that distinguished extraordinary leaders was
their ability to connect their organization to the outside world. As technology
and innovation affect every aspect of an organization, having a vision for what
is going on outside one’s own organization is critical for every successful
leader. Our analysis of competency companions for connecting to the outside
world found that a strong companion behavior was having a broad focus and
perspective.
One of the fascinating aspects of graduate education is that most graduate
programs continually narrow the focus of one’s study. An early indication that
a person has succeeded in life is that he has mastered a specific field. Individ-
ual contributors learn quickly that a key to success is oftentimes to narrow one’s
focus and become an expert in something. Many early experiences in a per-
son’s career reinforce that idea. What was helpful at one point in a career, how-
ever, frequently becomes an obstacle as people are promoted to leadership
positions that require broader responsibility and perspective. With a narrow
perspective, attempting to connect to the outside world is like looking at the
world through long tubes that only allow you to see a limited part of the world.
A broader perspective helps leaders to recognize the interrelationships among
various events and their impacts on technology, society, and government.

How Do I Get Others to Accept a New Strategic Course for My
Organization? Good strategists believe in logic and careful analysis. Many
believe they can win almost any argument and solve any problem with
enough analysis and good logic. They also typically believe that as long as a
strategy is logical, others will embrace the strategy. That is how they came to
embrace the strategy, so others ought to do the same.