An Idea A Day

TEAMWORK CREATE FOLLOWERS Jonathan Gifford

LEADERS NEED TEAMS that will do something because it is the right thing to do for the organization, rather than because they have been told to do it.

To achieve this, leaders should avoid directing people to do specific things and, instead, try to create “followers”—people who have chosen to follow your direction.

The idea

Anne Mulcahy of Xerox Corporation talks about the need for colleagues to “believe in a story” about the direction in which the organization is moving, so that they can embrace that direction with real commitment.

“We talk a lot about execution and the importance of it. But I actually ...