Monday, July 9, 2012

Keeping Score - Mind Set! - John Naisbitt

Brian, yes, your observation below is "street smart." One of the challenges for leadership is the skill, ability, sense to "bring things down from 20,000 feet" to make the journey into the future intelligible to followers. This is why Naisbitt argues for "keeping score." We need to have concrete milestones, check points, road maps in order to reassure our followers that in fact we are not off on some kind of "wild goose chase." Exactly. I have lived this as a technology planner and project manager..
Among the most useful bits from this chapter wasthe metaphor of a parade, which Naisbitt (2006) credits Al Smith, formergovernor of NY, for its introduction. The idea is that a parade has a lead element, main body, and a trailingelement. Aspiring to lead the parade isacceptable, but unreasonably speculating, guessing, or anticipating aboutthings that remain unproved will alienate many followers and cause them to wonderif you are even ‘in the parade’ (Naisbitt, 2006). This is sound advice for this researcher asbeing a visionary is of critical importance when operating a business.

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