ILRSM514: Sustaining Momentum: Motivating Through Vision, …€¦ · Note: The project for this...

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ILRSM514: Sustaining Momentum: Motivating Through Vision,Culture and Political Agility


This course includes

Two self-check quizzes

Multiple discussions; you must

participate in two

Five Ask the Expert interactives

One scored project in multiple parts

One video transcript file

Completing all of the coursework should take

about five to seven hours.

What you'll learn

Manage organizational culture to

sustain momentum

Become politically agile in ensuring

continued support for your agenda

Manage their coalition-and your

agenda-for the long-term

Course Description

Effective proactive leadership is a combination of getting people on your side, keeping them on your side, and sustaining

momentum. It is about having the political competence to generate interest and support for your agenda. And it is about

having the managerial competence to keep people engaged and to deliver results. You must have both. If you are only

politically competent but not managerially competent-that is, unable to follow through on your vision and agenda-you will

end up as "the nice guy who couldn't get anything done." If you are managerially competent but not politically competent,

you may get some things accomplished in the early stages, but your efforts may be undermined by others or unwind

quickly because of your inability to maintain support and sustain momentum.

The key to your managerial competence is keeping people on your side. And the key to keeping people on your side is to

sustain momentum. Successful leaders know there are four critical aspects to momentum:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ecornell/content/ILRSM/ILRSM514/ILRSM514_transcripts.pdf


Structural Momentum

Performance Momentum

Cultural Momentum

Political Momentum

This course focuses on sustaining cultural and political momentum. As such, it will help you understand and develop the

competencies required to keep your change agenda moving ahead and to keep people on your side.

Sam Bacharach McKelvey-Grant Professor, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, CornellUniversity

is the McKelvey-Grant Professor of Labor Management and is Director ofSamuel Bacharach

ILR's New York City based Institute for Workplace Studies as well as the Director of the

Smithers Institute. He is also the director of the New York City-based Master of

Professional Studies. He received his BS in economics from NYU. His MS and Ph.D. from

the University of Wisconsin.

Upon joining the Cornell faculty in 1974, he spent most of his time working on negotiation

and organizational politics, publishing numerous articles and two volumes (Power and

Politics in Organizations and Bargaining: Power, Tactics, and Outcome, both with Edward

J. Lawler). In the 1980s he continued working on negotiation, but shifted emphasis to the

study of complex organizations, with the empirical referent being schools. Besides his

academic articles, he published a number of books on school management and leadership,

such as Tangled Hierarchies (with Joseph Shedd) and Education Reform: Making Sense of

It All.

Start Your Course


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Module Introduction: Cultural Momentum

So you've established structural momentum and performance momentum. Your initiative is humming along with the

appropriate resources; you're able to monitor everyone's performance and give appropriate feedback; and you're keeping

your eye on the ball. Now you have to ask yourself what else you need.

To sustain momentum and keep people on your side, you need to do more than give them the right resources and monitor

their performance. Momentum also has to be sustained by the culture of motivation.

This module looks at the challenge of sustaining cultural momentum. It looks at each of three challenges in detail:

Creating a problem-solving culture

Balancing individual and collective needs

Recognizing and celebrating success

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Discuss how you might balance action and reflection in a problem-solving culture

List three principles to keep in mind when creating a culture of motivation

Identify your own organization's culture

Discuss how the nature of your organization's culture can have implications for the success of your agenda

Describe how a sense of affiliation in individual group members can enhance and sustain cultural momentum

Explain why it is necessary to sustain both individual and collective needs

Recommend ways to balance the collective and individual needs of your group members

Describe the role of recognition and celebration in sustaining cultural momentum

Provide several examples of effective approaches to reward and recognition

Discuss the use of recognition and celebration in your organization

About the Course Project

As one of the requirements for this course, you must complete a course project designed to help you apply what you're

learning to your leadership responsibilities in your own organization. Specifically, the project asks you to develop a plan for

establishing and sustaining the cultural and political momentum necessary to ensure the successful implementation of a

project or initiative that you are currently leading or will soon be leading.


The project for this course, , isNote: Sustaining Momentum: Motivating through Vision, Culture, and Political Agility

designed as a continuation of the project for its companion course, Establishing Momentum: Managing Structure,

If you have already completed that course, please review your project and construct yourResources, and Performance.

project for this course to build on your prior work. If you have not completed the companion course, please plan to add it to

your eCornell curriculum, as the two courses comprise an integrated whole. The courses can be taken in any order, so

your work on this project will not compromise your ability to accomplish the project in the companion course.

To complete the project, you must respond to four sets of questions about your initiative. You'll encounter the questions in

the form of a multi-part project as you work through the course. The course content-including resources, and an analysis

of a fictitious organization called Herringbone Press-is designed to provide all the information you need to enable you to

answer the questions.

Don't hesitate to contact your instructor if you have any questions about the project. And remember: the more closely you

tie the project to an actual assignment or initiative at work, the more valuable it will be to you.


Activity: Cultural Momentum Self-Assessment

Take a few minutes to engage in this self-assessment. It will be informative and hopefully it will allow you to judge where

you stand and what kind of modification you may want to consider.

This quiz activity will not count toward your final grade, please use it to gain a better understanding of thePlease note:

course material. You will complete both Cultural and Political self-assessments before we analyze the results at the end of

this course.


Watch: Bernard Seeks to Balance Decision Processes

Throughout this course, you have the opportunity to follow the progress of Bernard Schmidt as he works to sustain

political and cultural momentum for a change initiative he is leading at Herringbone Press, a fictional publishing house.

Herringbone was started by Charles Fishman in the 1936, building a reputation on the publication of historical fiction titles.

The organization expanded throughout the 1950s and '60s with the addition of travel books and city guides, but

maintained its tight family culture.

Bernard Schmidt came aboard as General Manager when Charles Fishman stepped down as CEO. It didn't take Bernard

long to identify several significant challenges. Decision making and management seemed haphazard. The organization

felt like it was stuck in the 1970s. Bernard decided to bring some of his experience in streamlining and professionalizing

his previous organization, Dresden Press, to bear at Herringbone.

Recently, Bernard has tightened his coalition of supporters and announced sweeping structural changes and reforms. In

this presentation, check in with Bernard on his efforts to change the culture at Herringbone Press. Listen as Bernard tries

to instill a problem-solving culture at Herringbone Press.


Watch: Cultural Momentum: Motivate to Sustain Focus

Meeting the extrinsic and intrinsic needs of your coalition is an important consideration for sustaining support for your

agenda. This presentation explores the key challenges in motivating others.


Watch: Create a Problem-Solving Culture

The first rule in sustaining cultural momentum is to create a problem-solving culture, but without processing things to

death. It is about finding that balance between reflective thinking and decisive action. Every organization's culture falls

somewhere along this spectrum. The most effective leaders are able to balance the two cultural preferences to keep

people in their group engaged with their initiative.

The managerially-competent leader must create a culture that promotes learning and problem solving without impairing

productivity. This presentation explains why balancing facilitative and directive leadership is key to sustaining momentum.


Ask The Expert: What a Problem-Solving Culture Looks Like

In the presentation below, Professor Sam Bacharach explains the impact of the leader on learning cultures.


Watch: Bernard Focuses on the Individual

You will sustain cultural momentum when you can productively link the affiliation needs of individual members with the

collective needs of the organization. These individual members identify with themselves and their jobs but also with their

group. Not only are they motivated by what's in it for them but also by what the group expects of each of them.

What the individual does on behalf of the group is important. When individuals take action, it is important that they

understand that their self-interest is served by the group's interest. Individuals must understand that their jobs are

important, but only in the context of project or collective initiative.

As Bernard continues to navigate his initiatives at Herringbone Press, he begins to understand that his agenda can only

succeed if he aligns the needs of individuals with those of the collective. In this presentation, Bernard takes steps to help

the organization by driving the success of individual editors. He tries to move his initiative forward by serving individual

needs.


Watch: The Power of the Collective

While there can be many benefits to a strong sense of affiliation and community, the needs of the individual should not be

forgotten. The presentation below describes the need for focusing on the individuals within a group.


Ask The Expert: Balancing the Individual and the Collective

In this presentation, Professor Sam Bacharach explains the importance of balance between group and individual needs.


Watch: Bernard Revisits Rewards

In maintaining cultural momentum, it is critical to fulfill the need for learning, affiliation, and reaffirmation. Reaffirmation is

the public recognition of who you are and where you belong. People need the sense of recognition; without it, they have

the feeling they are taken for granted.

Bernard understands that members of even the most collective groups need individual recognition to motivate them for

success. Watch as he and Janet Fox, Herringbone's Marketing Director, discuss plans for rewarding outstanding

performance by individuals in sales and marketing.


Watch: The Allure of Rewards and Recognition

Rewards and recognition are an important component of motivation. This presentation explores what rewards-tangible or

intangible, large or small-to offer in what circumstances.


Ask The Expert: Can Reaffirmation Go Too Far?

In this presentation, Professor Sam Bacharach discusses important considerations for offering rewards and recognition.


Module Introduction: Political Momentum

In order to sustain momentum, you have to be politically smart-that is, capable of anticipating conflict and opposition while

knowing who you're going to need on your side. To successfully maintain momentum, you need to know how to deal with

conflict and continuously mobilize support. Your capacity to manage political momentum will be the ultimate test of your

ability to keep people on your side.


List several elements of political momentum needed to keep people mobilized in support of your agenda

Describe techniques used to sustain political momentum by sustaining the coalition mindset

Explain the importance of sensing and managing internal opposition

Identify several strategies for managing internal conflict

Evaluate your own initiative and the internal conflict that exists at your organization

Describe the different types of resistance and how counter-coalitions emerge

Evaluate the threat of counter-coalitions in pursuit of your agenda

Evaluate your own political momentum using an experience you've had pursuing an agenda


Activity: Political Momentum Self-Assessment

Take a few minutes to engage in this self-assessment. It will be informative and hopefully it will allow you to judge where

you stand and what kind of modification you may want to consider.

This quiz activity will not count toward your final grade, please use it to gain a better understanding of thePlease note:

course material. You will complete both Cultural and Political self-assessments before we analyze the results at the end of

this course.


Watch: Bernard Reinforces the Benefits of His Agenda

In the simplest sense, a coalition is a collection of individuals or groups with common interests who are committed to the

achievement of a common goal. A coalition is a group mobilized for joint action, with shared intentions and a shared

understanding of what needs to be done. The key is the notion of mobilization. A coalition is formed not by accident or

coincidence, but by the focused will of a managerially-competent leader directed toward mobilizing others for joint action.

In sustaining political momentum, your challenge is to sustain this feeling of mobilization and the sense that collectively,

something of value can be achieved.

Over time, frustration can set in and the coalition mindset can begin to erode. Competent leaders must re-engage their

supporters by reminding them of the importance of their initiatives. In this presentation, Bernard handles concerns from his

senior managers. He tries to keep his team engaged and supportive during tough times.


Watch: Keeping People Engaged with the Vision

The vision that drives a project or initiative can begin to fade over time. When this happens, the leader must reinvigorate

the vision to keep the team motivated. In this presentation, explore how leaders can sustain the coalition's energy and

focus.


Ask The Expert: The Treadmill of Political Momentum

In this presentation, Professor Sam Bacharach explores the importance of sustaining vision and coalition motivation.


Watch: Bernard Actively Addresses His Opposition

In sustaining political momentum, you may do everything possible to maintain the coalition mindset, trying to keep the

group together and moving them forward in a collective direction, and still encounter opposition. Not everyone will agree

with everything that you do. It is likely that you will be challenged. Rather than be dismissive or ignorant, you need to

manage these situations carefully.

Dissent to your agenda is inevitable, no matter how much work you put into building and sustaining momentum. Here,

Janet Fox begins to question her support of Bernard's agenda.


Watch: Sensing Opposition

This presentation explores how managerially-competent leaders can identify internal opposition and select appropriate

strategies for dealing with these challenges.


Ask The Expert: Dealing With Internal Conflict

In this presentation, Professor Sam Bacharach discusses the challenges associated with internal opposition.


Watch: Bernard Preempts His Detractors

You may have done all you can to keep the coalition in place and to sustain political momentum. You did your best to

avoid the Trojan horse. But counter-coalitions will emerge. This is part of organizational life: you move an initiative, and

sooner or later, a counter-coalition will come to the fore. Your job as proactive leader is to manage their presence in a way

that will ensure that your agenda moves forward.

The development of counter-coalitions is a natural reaction to most change initiatives. Competent leaders must ensure the

momentum of such movements does not overtake their own. This presentation shows Bernard's efforts to prevent the

growth of Janet Fox's counter-coalition. He takes aggressive steps to keep a counter-coalition at bay.


Watch: Counter-Coalitions Are Inevitable

Responding appropriately to counter-coalitions is an important part of the overall task of keeping people on your side. In

this presentation, learn about the balance between minimizing and overreacting to opposition.


Read: Sensing Changing Interests to Maintain Cohesion

It is important to understand that not everyone who voices some discontent is out to destroy, sabotage, and scuttle your

initiative. Discontent is not an obstacle to sustaining momentum. Differentiating support, dissent, opposition, and

resistance among group members comes down to listening closely to what group members say and how they say it.

How did you do on the quiz? Identifying Supporters, Dissenters, Opponents and Resistors

If you scored less than 10

On the surface that may not mean much, but when trying to understand how to sustain momentum, who you

want to keep on your side, and who you can let go, you have to focus on the language others use.

Managerial competence is very much about listening. Listen to what they're saying and try to orient your

response accordingly. Failure to listen may lead you to confuse opponents for dissenters, and resistors for

opponents, etc. Such confusion could really lead to failed leadership and the end of any initiative.

If you scored between 10-14

Clearly you understand the difference between the language used by supports, dissenters, opponents, and resistors.

Understanding this language is critical. If you want to maintain a coalition over the duration of your project, you'll

have to listen and understand where other people are coming from. You are well on your way to doing this.

If you scored over 14

You are the master of the subtle. You well understand how to politically identify where others are coming from. Now,

the question is, will you respond appropriately? Sustaining political momentum is a challenge of listening and

responding: listening to where they're coming from and responding appropriately. You are well on the road to

sustaining political momentum.


Module Introduction: The Proactive Leader

Proactive leaders understand that support feeds results, and results feed support. Proactive leaders understand the

importance of political competence and managerial competence. They understand that they need political competence to

get people on their side and rally around their agenda and managerial competence to sustain momentum and keep people

on their side.

This module puts this course into context and helps you think broadly about developing agendas and proactively leading

initiatives in your organization.


Describe the entire process of getting them on your side and sustaining momentum

Identify the key challenges you face in getting from idea through implementation


Watch: Bernard's Agenda Moves On

An important part of all managerially-competent leaders' job is to provide their members with clarity around the criteria

they will use to evaluate process and performance (the "what" of evaluation) and the standards that they will hold

members to (the "measures" of evaluation). Too few people in leadership positions provide clarity about what is being

evaluated and what measures are being used to evaluate process and results. A key to sustaining momentum is knowing

when to take corrective action. To do that, you have to monitor and evaluate performance; you have to know where your

initiative stands.

As circumstances change, managerially-competent leaders must maintain the core of their agendas while shifting strategic

steps to meet the evolving needs of their coalition and their organization. In this presentation, Bernard looks back on a

year of change and shifts his strategy accordingly. When you have viewed the presentation, read Bernard's email to

Herringbone's management team outlining the next steps of his agenda.


Read: Your Leadership Style

What is your leadership style? Use the results from the and activities to locate your Cultural Momentum Political Momentum

leadership styles below.

Cultural Momentum Score

Erratic

Your score is all over the statistical map. Your scores vacillate to extremes. This may

be a statistical error. This may be an artifact of our questionnaire, but it falls into that

statistical Neverland that is not quite translatable. That does not mean that you're not

brilliant in your managerial style. Indeed, it may be the case that these extreme

answers reflect a certain managerial pattern that works for you. However, we believe

that to effectively sustain cultural momentum you need to balance a directive and

facilitative managerial leadership style. We believe this is critical for proactive leaders.

In this context, you may want to consider integrating the concepts and strategy

presented in this course into your leadership style to enhance your capacity to sustain

cultural momentum.

Less than 4

Your score is less than 4. This means you are in the range of the directive

leadership style for cultural momentum. What does that mean? Cultural momentum

is a test of your capacity to motivate, focus, and socialize individuals so that they

achieve in the group and on behalf of the group. From your score there is an

indication that when it comes to sustaining cultural momentum, you tend to rely on a

directive leadership style. You believe that the problem of motivation is that most

people don't like being challenged and that creating a sense of belonging, while

important, is not critical. While you like social meetings, you think they should be

relatively formal. You prefer to hire people who have basic skills rather than

spending time developing them. In dealing with cultural momentum in a directive

style, you clearly believe that the culture should be one that enhances immediate

action, one that accomplishes things, one that motivates people to get tasks done in

the short-term. You understand that creativity has a role, but delivery is paramount.

For you the key function of organizational culture is to create a sense of loyalty. For

a directive leader, organizational culture is a way of making sure that everyone is

marching, more or less, to the same tune. The strength of a directive approach to

culture is that ensures a great deal of uniformity and predictability. The failure of a

directive leadership to culture is that over the long term it may de-motivate people by

giving them a sense that there is no room for learning, individual development, or

spontaneous reflection. Indeed, the culture of uniformity is that it may stifle the very

creativity that you may want for the long term. While sustaining cultural momentum

in a directive leadership style may be useful, you may want to consider creating a bit


more cultural autonomy and individual expression. You may want to make sure that

your organizational culture does not become a stifling straightjacket and become a

bit more facilitative.

Greater than 4 and lessthan 7

Congratulations! Your score is greater than 4 and less than 7. It certainly seems that

when sustaining political momentum, you\'re a proactive leader. You have

managerial competence to know that you need to balance leadership style in

sustaining momentum. You understand the importance of sustaining cultural

momentum with both a directive and facilitative leadership style. You understand

that it is important to create a problem-solving culture but not to process things to

death. You understand the importance of the collective, but you appreciate individual

creativity. You realize the importance of developing people, but you also realize that

you're in business. You understand the social component at work while realizing that

work has to be done. You understand how to use culture to provide uniformity while

motivating and challenging the individual. You understand the basic truism of

cultural momentum--be facilitative, but also know when to be directive."

Greater than 7

You score is greater than 7. This means you are in the range of the facilitative

leadership style for cultural momentum. What does that mean? As you recall,

cultural momentum is about your capacity to motivate people. Cultural momentum is

a test of your capacity to motivate, focus, and socialize individuals so that they

achieve in the group and on behalf of the group. Your score indicates that when it

comes sustaining cultural momentum you depend on a facilitative leadership style.

You believe that the key to motivating people is to challenge them--giving them a

sense that while they belong to a group, they also are creative individuals.

Facilitative leaders believe that organizations should not simply teach people

functional, specific skills, but should spend time developing them. Facilitative cultural

leaders see the main role of culture as creating a sense of belonging in order to

enhance a feeling of spontaneity and creativity. You realize that paying people is

simply not enough and you've got to place an emphasis on having people expand

their talents. For you a motivating learning environment is critical. You understand

the importance of a collective, but place the emphasis on the individual. The

problem with such a facilitative leadership approach to sustaining cultural

momentum is that it may create too much reflection, too much learning, and too

much spontaneous expression. While you understand that creating a

problem-solving culture will help you sustain momentum, you don't want to create a

situation where there is non-stop learning and where everything is delayed for the

long run. Indeed, such facilitative learning culture can be reduced to perpetual

reflection and that is something you want to avoid. In considering how to sustain


cultural momentum you may want to consider using a bit more cultural uniformity

and being just a bit more directive.

Political Momentum Score

Erratic

Your score is all over the statistical map. Your scores vacillate to extremes. This

may be a statistical error. This may be an artifact of our questionnaire, but it falls into

that statistical Neverland that is not quite translatable. That does not mean that

you\'re not brilliant in your managerial style. Indeed, it may be the case that these

extreme answers reflect a certain managerial pattern that works for you. However,

we believe that to effectively sustain momentum you need to balance a directive and

facilitative managerial leadership style. We believe this is critical for proactive

leaders. In this context, you may want to consider integrating the concepts and

strategy presented in this course into your leadership style to enhance your capacity

to sustain political momentum.

Less than 4

Your score is less than 4. This means you are in the range of the directive

leadership style for political momentum. What does that mean? As you recall,

political momentum is about your capacity to know who you want to mobilize and

keep on your side and who you may, at some point, exclude. It is about your ability

to identify supporters, dissenters, opponents, and resistors. Political momentum

speaks to your capacity to sustain a sense of coalition and your ability to practically

deal with conflict and opposition as it emerges. When you try to sustain political

momentum, you're anticipating how things could get sidetracked when people's

interests and opportunities drift away from your agenda. How you maintain political

momentum will be determined by your beliefs about your opponents, criticism,

conflict, opposition, and the use of power. From your score there is an indication that

when it comes to sustaining political momentum, you have a tendency to use a

directive leadership style. You believe that conflict is a problem, that preventing

criticism is critical, that trying to persuade and influence opponents is quite often a

waste of time. You believe in the strong use of authority and are most comfortable

working with supporters. The advantage of your style is that it enhances control and

diminishes the emergence of opposition. The disadvantage of the directive style is

that it may inhibit people and may make them a bit paranoid when given the

opportunity to criticize, suggest a different direction, or display discontent. Clearly,

you don't want everything to break down into minor political conflicts--with everyone

pursing their own interests and their own turf. On the other hand, there is room for

being more facilitative. It may not be necessary to squelch all conflict. Maybe you


should consider the strength of being more facilitative when dealing with political

momentum.

Greater than 4 and lessthan 7

Congratulations! Your score is greater than 4 and less than 7. It certainly seems that

when sustaining political momentum, you're a proactive leader. You have

managerial competence to know that you need to balance leadership style in

sustaining momentum. You understand the importance of sustaining political

momentum with both a directive and facilitative leadership style. You realize conflict

may not be the best of all things, but you realize that it is not necessarily the end of

the world. You realize it is important to pay attention to your opponents, but not to

overdo it--not to pay so much attention to them that you legitimize the opposition.

You realize it is important to work with a small group of supporters. But you also

know that it is important to try to work with as many people as possible. When

working with a large group, you realize it is impossible to keep everyone on your

side. You are open to criticism, but within boundaries. You understand the basic

truism of political momentum: be facilitative, but also know when to be directive.

Greater than 7

Your score is greater than 7. This means you are in the range of the facilitative

leadership style for political momentum. What does that mean? As you recall,

political momentum is about your capacity to know who you want to mobilize and

keep on your side and who you want to exclude. It is about your ability to identify

supporters, dissenters, opponents, and resistors. Political momentum speaks to your

capacity to sustain a sense of coalition and your ability to practically deal with

conflict and opposition as it emerges. When you try to sustain political momentum,

you're anticipating how things could get sidetracked when people's interests and

opportunities drift away from your agenda. How you maintain political momentum

will be determined by your beliefs about your opponents, criticism, conflict,

opposition, and the use of power. A score between 6 and 9 indicates that in

sustaining political momentum, you have a preference for a facilitative leadership

style. While you may see conflict and opposition, they are not primary concerns for

you. When there is opposition, you believe that time should be spent trying to

understand the nature of the opposition. You seem to believe that criticism is not

dysfunctional. Your score also indicates a desire to keep as many people on your

side as possible. When dealing with the opposition, you will rely on persuasion,

enticement, and spend much time trying to influence and convince people rather

than making demands, threatening, and confronting. In the tradition of a facilitative

leader, your score indicates that you tend to shy away from the use of authority. The

strength of using a facilitative style in sustaining political momentum is that you do

not squelch opponents, you do not suppress challenges, and you welcome criticism.


The strength of such a style is that it gives everyone a sense of empowerment,

voice, and participation. The danger is that it could quickly break down into interest

groups, turf games, and ego battles. Your facilitative tendency to want to be

inclusive may result in stifling the very momentum you're trying to enhance. While

the suggestion is not that you jump to the other side of the fence and become a

strictly directive leader, maybe you should consider when dealing with political

momentum supplementing your facilitative style with a more directive style. While

there is room for being inclusive, sometimes you have to make it clear that you know

who is on your side and who is not on your side and that you know where the buck

stops.


Listen: Putting It All Together

To effectively move an agenda from idea through implementation, you need to have the political competence to get the

idea off the ground and the managerial competence to see it through to completion. The most effective leaders are those

who demonstrate both.

Some leaders are able to get people on their side. But they falter when it comes to moving their agenda forward. This is,

perhaps, the most common scenario that leaders face. The result is a perhaps well-liked leader who is deemed ineffective,

or, one with a good idea that was poorly executed. The corporate and nonprofit world is littered with examples of leaders

who fall into this category. They are known as . They get people on their side and work tirelessly toconsensus builders

maintain their support, even at the expense of showing results.

Sometimes a leader never really gets people on their side. These are the . They are so fixated with gettinglone rangers

things done that they try to get everyone out of their way unless they are immediately necessary. They are results-driven,

believing that action speaks louder than words. Some lone rangers are the drill sergeants who relentlessly drive people to

performing the tasks that need to get done. Other lone rangers quietly pursue their agenda, preferring to do the work

themselves and occasionally giving others certain isolated tasks. Regardless of how they do it, lone rangers see the end

clearly and remain uniquely focused on getting there.

Because they don't spend enough time getting people on their side, lone rangers often create divisions within their

organizations. The organization may make progress toward the leader's desired goals, but no one has a sense of

ownership over the process or the results. Those who survive the charge of the lone ranger are relieved that they weren't

trampled.

If there is one challenge that this poses to anyone in organizations, it is your need to be proactive.

From the moment your idea is born, it requires constant nurturing, leadership, and management. Nothing gets done in

organizations by people waiting for their ideas to magically come to fruition. It is a long, sustained process of influence,

pushing, adjusting, and reinforcing. We call this proactive leadership because the difference between successful leaders

and those who fall short is more often than not in how proactive they were in bringing their idea through to completion.


Stay Connected


Supplemental Reading List

(2005) - Bacharach, Samuel B. " ."Get Them on Your Side

Avon, Mass: Adams Media.

(2006) - Bacharach, Samuel B. " "Keep Them on Your Side: Leading And Managing for Momentum

Avon, Mass: Adams Media.

(1993) - Eisenhardt, Kathleen M. "Speed and Strategic Choice: How Managers Accelerate Decision Making."

. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Organizing for the Future: The New Logic for Managing Complex Organizations

(1980) - Hackman, Richard J., and Greg R. Oldham. " ."Work Redesign

Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley.

(1985) - Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. " ."The Change Masters

New York: Simon & Schuster.

(1997) - Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. "The Role of the Technical Leader."

, ed. Ralph Katz. 2nd ed. NewThe Human Side of Managing Technological Innovation: A Collection of Readings

York: Oxford University Press.

(1978) - March, James G. "Bounded Rationality, Ambiguity, and the Engineering of Choice."

The Bell Journal of Economics 9, no. 2: 587-608.

(1997) - Nadler, David A., and Michael L."Beyond the Charismatic Leader: Leadership and Organizational Change."

Tushman.

, ed. Ralph Katz. 2nd ed. NewThe Human Side of Managing Technological Innovation: A Collection of Readings

York: Oxford University Press.

(1990) - Orton, J. Douglas, and Karl Weick. "Loosely Coupled Systems: A Reconceptualization."

Academy of Management Review 15, no. 2: 203-223.

(1997) - Schein, Edgar H. " ."Organizational Culture and Leadership

2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

(1997) - Tushman, Michael L., and Philip" ."Managing Strategic Innovation and Change: A Collection of Readings

Anderson (eds.).

New York: Oxford University Press.

(1999) - Weick, Karl E., and Robert E. Quinn. "Organizational Change and Development."

Annual Review of Psychology 50: 361-386.

Fun Books:

(1987) - Gleick, James. " ."Chaos: Making a New Science

New York: Penguin Books.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593372787/wwwecornellco-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593377290?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwecornellco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1593377290










(2000) - Gleick, James. " ."Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything

New York: Vintage Books.

(1971. Reprint, London: Picador, 1975.) - Koestler, Arthur. " "The Case of the Midwife Toad.

London: Hutchinson; New York.

(1968. Reprint, with an introduction by" ."The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

Sylvia Naser, New York: Touchstone, June 2001.) - Watson, James D.

New York: Atheneum.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067977548X/wwwecornellco-20


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/074321630X/wwwecornellco-20

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