Human beings have always been fascinated by the heights. So, travellers such as Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first scaled the Everest or astronauts Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin evoke a sense of awe. In corporate leadership too, analogies may be created around such heights which can be broadly divided into three levels. These three levels are 5 feet, 50 feet and 50, 000 feet. At each level, exist unique challenges and corresponding leadership disorders. These three groups may be equated to operational, tactical and strategic levels. The largest group are those who get trapped at the 50 feet level. They do not have “outside-in” or “future-back” ideas. They get trapped as “legacy hostages”. Just as the leaders of Kodak, they can neither see the upcoming opportunities nor the impending disruptions. Those living at the 50,000 feet level are constantly drafting a grandiose corporate strategy yet often know little about execution, so it amounts to simply day-dreaming. Those at 50 feet tend to be micro-managers, trying to control every little thing. Thus, leaders should try to cure these ailments through proper management training involving coaching, feedback and mentoring.

Source:https://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/the-three-altitudes-of-leadership-7541

Uploaded Date:15 November 2017