Comments on: The star gazer http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/31/the-star-gazer/ The strategic role of the senior executive Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:35:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jim Stroup http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/31/the-star-gazer/comment-page-1/#comment-4173 Jim Stroup Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:10:03 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/31/the-star-gazer/#comment-4173 Hello Cam, Your pointing to the Deming comment in this context is good - a tighter connection than I had seen. It is right on the money though. The weaknesses inherent in so many hiring/promotion decisions does largely arise from fear (as well as, as you pointed out elsewhere, from simple laziness, and a lack of attention to the longer-term consequences of actions). As much as I hate to encourage heroic images of the top boss, this is an area of singular responsibility for that person: establishing a productive executive environment. If cause for fear comes from the top, no manager further down can ameliorate it. But if the boss can drive it out, as Deming said, he or she, in so doing, is discharging a great part of the CEO's real strategic duties. Thanks for tying that together for me! Hello Cam,

Your pointing to the Deming comment in this context is good – a tighter connection than I had seen.

It is right on the money though. The weaknesses inherent in so many hiring/promotion decisions does largely arise from fear (as well as, as you pointed out elsewhere, from simple laziness, and a lack of attention to the longer-term consequences of actions).

As much as I hate to encourage heroic images of the top boss, this is an area of singular responsibility for that person: establishing a productive executive environment. If cause for fear comes from the top, no manager further down can ameliorate it. But if the boss can drive it out, as Deming said, he or she, in so doing, is discharging a great part of the CEO’s real strategic duties.

Thanks for tying that together for me!

]]> By: Cam Beck http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/31/the-star-gazer/comment-page-1/#comment-4158 Cam Beck Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:15:12 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/31/the-star-gazer/#comment-4158 The Deming comment has particular weight in this discussion, as fear seems to be the primary motivating factor for companies and the people who run them. What can be done systematically to change that across the marketplace, rather than just in individual instances in which we are personally involved and vested? The Deming comment has particular weight in this discussion, as fear seems to be the primary motivating factor for companies and the people who run them.

What can be done systematically to change that across the marketplace, rather than just in individual instances in which we are personally involved and vested?

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