It’s lonely at the top, but who makes it that way?
In Large companies there seems to be a myth – often perpetuated at the middle tier – that senior leaders are somehow “gods” that cannot be spoken to or at least not in the same way as mere mortals.
The business leaders that I’ve had the pleasure of talking to have been very smart, politically astute, personable, socially aware and most of all they care what people have to say. Admittedly they’re strapped for free time but they’re still human beings.
A casual conversation, sharing of thoughts and opinions or mail exchange should be possible at any level. In fact that no-nonsense, relaxed, open and honest communication is a breath of fresh air from the political games and data feeds faced most of the day.
In any organization that claims to be lean or agile, isolating communication with our leaders to single PowerPoint slides and 2 minute bursts of data defeats the entire point of a true lean corporate culture.
“Go see” also means listen, share, learn, coach, mentor, teach, act, support and most critically interact.
Most leaders understand this (they all started out somewhere) but you may have to cut through a layer of defense to get there and re-educate along the way.
When your leaders do go see, make sure they really see and understand. It’s not all a parade no matter how your local glitterati might want to make it one.
Remember no matter where you are in the food chain, a truly agile organization values individuals and interactions.