Doing the Right Things Right

TEAM FOCUS

Effective, efficient executives take responsibility for the return on investment (ROI) their teams generate, because doing so benefits the entire organization. Getting discretionary effort from team members begins with a genuine concern for them and their lives—an approach that previous generations of executives might have found a little too touchy-feely for their liking. Some still do. But during the past generation or so, something unusual has happened: executives have evolved from being bosses to being team members. Oh, they’re still in charge, but smart leaders realize they get further by forming partnerships with their employees.

Modern executives act mostly as visionary facilitators, even cheerleaders, rather than as dictators. ...