Leaders in an interconnected organization must be comfortable sitting in the middle of a network, not at the top of an org-chart. Chris Fussell More Quotes by Chris Fussell More Quotes From Chris Fussell As a leader, you must consistently drive effective communication. Meetings must be deliberate and intentional - your organizational rhythm should value purpose over habit and effectiveness over efficiency. Chris Fussell value drive you communication There's a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing. Chris Fussell difference doing doing-the-right-thing In any bureaucracy, there's a natural tendency to let the system become an excuse for inaction. Chris Fussell become inaction bureaucracy natural If you're trying to stay productive, stop and think, 'Are my meetings actually productive, or are we merely having meetings for meetings' sake?' Chris Fussell stop think you meetings The information age has ushered in a networked and interdependent world, one in which challenges and opportunities appear and disappear faster than traditional organizational models can manage. Chris Fussell information age challenges world Silos and bureaucracy are well-oiled machines in corporate America, but they are ultimately perpetuated by individual behavior. If we start behaving differently, we can create change. In other words, shifting your focus onto the team - or the ship as a whole, not just yourself - will have meaningful impact. Chris Fussell words yourself focus change The 20th century was all about hierarchies: if you want to create something, if you want to start a country, create a product, whatever it is. Your goal is to create a highly efficient hierarchical model, scale it, because that's what the competition's doing. Chris Fussell start you competition country The 21st century is dominated by networks because the introduction of the information age, we can suddenly create, free flow these globally distributed, organic, shaped networks of individuals. Chris Fussell free create information age As I found while leading special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, if the problem is interconnected, your organization must be, as well. Chris Fussell your organization problem special When the collective mentality of any organization is self and self-preservation first, it's a sure sign of pending doom. Chris Fussell first mentality organization self The Defense Department is prone to all of the 'traditional bureaucratic rules,' which is the same thing you'll find in most traditional government systems. Chris Fussell rules find you government Special operations are small, highly specialized. They do amazing work when they're put into the fight, but it's a limited resource. And so if we become overly dependent on an organization that's designed for a very specific mission and expect them to solve all problems around the world, you're naturally going to overextend it. Chris Fussell fight you work world The reality, as the battlefield taught us, is that a 20th-century organizational system is simply insufficient for the speed of the information age. Chris Fussell speed information age reality The truth is that key influencers exist in all effective organizations, but a solid-line org chart won't tell you where they are. Chris Fussell tell you truth-is truth Before you can trust your team to make decisions better than you would have, you need to build their capability to connect the dots. Chris Fussell better you trust team It's difficult to feel as though you are truly being effective at work. Many of us feel trapped in endless meetings, with barely any time to grab lunch, let alone do any work. Overarching strategies and key priorities seem completely divorced from the day-to-day tactics. Chris Fussell alone you work time As the insurgency in Iraq started to grow, we realized this is a connected network of individual actors that can move at light speed. Chris Fussell grow individual speed light When we first met, I was probably six layers down in the military structure, but General McChrystal at that time was a soldier's leader, and he was part of the task force. So everyone developed close relationships. Chris Fussell down leader soldier time As you move up a traditional, sort of bureaucratic structure, there's a certain point at which you realize, 'Well, I'm not really on the implementation or execution side - I'm not on the battlefield. I'm an operations person who's overseeing multiple units that are out on the ground doing the job.' Chris Fussell realize doing job you Bureaucratic advancement means fewer peers, more span of control, generally an increasing information-pump function, and increased distance from the actual implementation of whatever it is the organization does. Chris Fussell control more distance organization
