Who's in the Room?: How Great Leaders Structure and Manage the Teams Around Them

CHAPTER 1

Most Companies Are Run by Teams with No Names

The chief information officer (CIO) of a major industrial company—let's call him Dave—was frustrated. He had just come from the latest meeting of the company's Senior Management Team (SMT), consisting of the CEO, the presidents of the three divisions, and functional heads like him. Twelve people in all, and in his mind the team that ran the company. But now he was no longer sure exactly what the team did.

In preparation for the meeting, Dave had spent his Saturday evening reviewing a two-inch binder containing the business case for a major plant expansion in China. He was no expert on manufacturing or strategy, but he did know that some other major initiatives that would require significant ...