“Bird’s Eye” vs “Boots on Ground”
As leaders, we’re told that we need to keep a “bird’s eye” view of what’s going on in our business so that we can make changes in direction or strategy as we need to. I’ve seen a number of leaders who do this very well, but sometimes fail to understand that from time to time, a “boots on the ground” view may be needed to really understand a situation to decide on the right course of action.
In the military and political sphere, a great deal of emphasis is placed on gathering “Elint” (Electronic Intelligence) by satellite reconnaissance or through picking up voice calls or emails. As many infantry may often tell you, “eyes in the sky” still can’t replace the trusty “Mk I eyeball” when it comes to understanding what’s really happening in terms of what’s there, how people are feeling or when something may happen. A high-level satellite picture may show tanks massed in a particular area, prompting a pre-emptive strike, but an operative on the ground may be able to tell that they are only wooden mock-ups (these were used with great success during WWII).
As leaders, spending too much time on an “eye in the sky” will reap rewards but, at times, the need to go into detail is paramount to really understand a situation. How many times have we heard complaints about “remote Head Office” attitudes because of this?
Depending on the time available, the only way we may be able to get the detail we need is to trust those who work for us and with us. Adding their “intel” to the “bird’s eye” view that we have may result in some surprising revelations.
The best way to get the details? Talk to staff, customers, anyone on the “front line”. They’re the ones with intimate knowledge of the processes, whether they work, how they could be improved.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My websiteprovides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 14:08
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