Monday, May 16, 2011

Birth of the 'Yes-Man Culture'

The Chairman's response to a CNN Money Article "Saying No to the Boss"


This article addressed a critical issue for leaders/managers in companies, especially for the CEO.  The dilemma for many CEOs is they initially moved up the ladder because of their ability to solve problems and provide great solutions.  This implies he or she has the right answer. While that is great, the down side it creates a closed mind to the ideas of others.  When you learn to trust yourself and you are usually right, you expect others to follow you – the birth of the “yes man culture”.  However, the best managers/leaders rely on their people.  If you rely on your people, you send a strong message that you trust them.  To build a culture of trust, it has to come from the CEO. And if he is really smart, he will hire and empower people to be smarter than him.  In an age of knowledge workers, it takes a very confident leader to allow your people to be smarter than you.  At the same time, it will give you access to untapped intellectual capital in your organization.  In most cases, it can become a competitive edge.

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