Why Should the Boss Listen to You?: The Seven Disciplines of the Trusted Strategic Advisor

1.2. What Leaders Do

The CEO has three powerful assignments in any organization. The first job is to look to the future—that is, go over the horizon to see what is out there and then come back and tell the organization a bit about where it is headed; perhaps what some of the pitfalls might be; and, most important, what some of the deadlines are. The second principal task of the CEO is to find the people power required to achieve the organization's mission. Unlike the manager, whose job is to achieve objectives, complete programs, and work inside the box, the leader must work almost exclusively outside the box in this energizing arena of strategy, future accomplishment, and managing the destiny of the organization. The third assignment is to ...