Leadership in Action: Mediocrity at the Top: Pulling Away From the Pack

Headed for a Fall

First, however, let's put you in the shoes of the president of Looking Glass, Inc., to get an idea of what it feels like to find out that you are viewed by others in your organization as merely an average leader:

John Smith is the president of a manufacturing firm that has just closed its books for the fiscal year. Holed up in his office, he looks over the various documents and reports showing the company's financial progress. He's pleased to see that total revenue for the year was nearly $590 million, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. “Well done”, he says to himself, “especially for this industry.”

As he looks at the forecasts for the next two quarters, however, he feels a twinge of concern. Growth in various sectors ...