Thanks to David Teten's Brain Food Blog, I was recently reminded of the concept of Servant Leadership. I know the concept well, but reading the article below reminded me that the attitude of Servant Leadership is as crucial and applicable to someone filling the role of Chief of Staff as it would be to the CEO, Division President or Team Leader.
In the text of this article by Larry Spears of the Leader to Leader Institute, he quotes from Max DePree, former chairman of the Herman Miller Company and author of Leadership Is an Art and Leadership Jazz: "The servanthood of leadership needs to be felt, understood, believed, and practiced."
I would add my own my own "Amen" to those words by Max DePree. As part of my doctoral studies, I had the privilege of taking a class in leadership taught by Max DePree. He is the very embodiment of these principles.
Enjoy the article, and enjoy even more putting them into practice!
Al Chase
Practicing Servant-Leadership -- Larry Spears full-text article
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Chief of Staff Feedback and Comment
After yesterday's posting on the Chief of Staff role was published, a discerning reader offered the following comment:
I believe that there was a critical factor not mentioned in the selection of a "Chief of Staff" (different organizations have different Titles). The C of S absolutely must have the respect and cooperation of the line managers who also report to the same manager/executive. In my experience, the C of S is selected from that group of line executives who has risen as a "prima inter pares" with his peers, which will allow him to act with effectiveness as (since I'm into the Latin) a quasi "in loco parentis" equivalent to the Chief. To be truly effective, his line peers must "like" him personally and respect his judgement. He, in turn, must be seem as trustworthy and unwilling to undercut his field peers.
* * * * *
I am grateful to my erudite reader for raising this point. In organizations in which the Chief of Staff is drawn from inside the organization, I would agree that pre-existing respect and cooperation from line managers is crucial to the success of the Chief. I am familiar with other organizations that have brought in a C of S from the outside. In this case, the Chief of Staff must quickly establish his/her own bona fides by virtue of reputation, prior achievements, expertise, strength of character, interpersonal skills and a spirit of "Servant Leadership." (See following article)
A corollary to this point is the absolute necessity of the Chief of Staff being able to garner reliable data from the far reaches of the organization. It is axiomatic that within large enterprises, reports sent up the line are often presented in a way that will show the Division and its leaders in the best possible light. It is incumbent up on the Chief of Staff to develop alternate sources of data so that she/he is in a position to keep the CEO informed of the true "State of the Union" at any given moment. The ability to develop and to maintain these sources of reliable information and to analyze the stream of data may ultimately be the most challenging aspect of this job, and the function that returns the most value to the CEO) and to the organizaion.
As always, I welcome your comments.
Al Chase
I believe that there was a critical factor not mentioned in the selection of a "Chief of Staff" (different organizations have different Titles). The C of S absolutely must have the respect and cooperation of the line managers who also report to the same manager/executive. In my experience, the C of S is selected from that group of line executives who has risen as a "prima inter pares" with his peers, which will allow him to act with effectiveness as (since I'm into the Latin) a quasi "in loco parentis" equivalent to the Chief. To be truly effective, his line peers must "like" him personally and respect his judgement. He, in turn, must be seem as trustworthy and unwilling to undercut his field peers.
* * * * *
I am grateful to my erudite reader for raising this point. In organizations in which the Chief of Staff is drawn from inside the organization, I would agree that pre-existing respect and cooperation from line managers is crucial to the success of the Chief. I am familiar with other organizations that have brought in a C of S from the outside. In this case, the Chief of Staff must quickly establish his/her own bona fides by virtue of reputation, prior achievements, expertise, strength of character, interpersonal skills and a spirit of "Servant Leadership." (See following article)
A corollary to this point is the absolute necessity of the Chief of Staff being able to garner reliable data from the far reaches of the organization. It is axiomatic that within large enterprises, reports sent up the line are often presented in a way that will show the Division and its leaders in the best possible light. It is incumbent up on the Chief of Staff to develop alternate sources of data so that she/he is in a position to keep the CEO informed of the true "State of the Union" at any given moment. The ability to develop and to maintain these sources of reliable information and to analyze the stream of data may ultimately be the most challenging aspect of this job, and the function that returns the most value to the CEO) and to the organizaion.
As always, I welcome your comments.
Al Chase
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