Is the C-suite Really Our Best Example?

RANT WARNING!

There are hundreds of leadership and management books that spend a lot of paragraphs discussing interviews with CEO's about their thoughts and insights. I appreciate these discussions and have found inspiration from many of these sources.

I have found myself wondering more and more often about this though. I can't help but notice that there is only 1 CEO per company. Does that mean that no one else is worth studying and quoting? Many CEO's (and other C-Suite executives) have gotten there because of talent, skill and being the best; others, well...I think we can all agree that there have been times when we wonder how in the world did this person make it past their first promotion. (Maybe that is why we are enamored with this level of business royalty.)

I think we are missing out on some big opportunities by focusing almost exclusively on this top X%. Many in the C-suite have been so far removed from operations for so long, they have probably forgotten how hard it is to manage a team without a formal title and authority. Do they even remember what it is like as a frontline manager: balancing productivity, safety, daily reporting, detailed documentation, constantly changing technology, building a team, rolling up their sleeves and doing the detailed work to make a deadline. When an executive visits the frontline, people are at attention and on their best behavior; workers are the friendliest, most cooperative selves. You know and I know this is like kids the week before Santa comes to town -- what about the rest of the year?

I have been looking for literature from the voice of frontline leaders or middle managers; most of the current literature seems to emulate C-suite thinking and corporate challenges.

The other day, a friend and I were talking about how crazy it is that animated movies are ever completed. It seems like each big new movie had to create new technology, go through hundreds of script revisions, etc. before finally being done. Can you imagine the size of these teams? The complexities they face? All the opinions to sift through? All the personalities to handle?! As we wrapped-up discussing the details of an industry neither one of us know anything about, I thought: I am tired of reading about CEO's. Wouldn't it be interesting to read about the tools and techniques the mid-level project managers in the film industry have learned? How do they successfully manage teams of artists, programmers, and developers to deliver seamlessly animated stories within scope, schedule, and budget; and then voluntarily want to do it again on another movie.

I started thinking about similarities to my industry: construction. I have been in construction for more than two decades. I have looked at completed projects with increasing awe. It really is a miracle that anything gets built. The planning, the money, the hundreds of people (supplying, buying, transporting, scheduling, installing, building, inspecting, managing...), thousands of decisions, changes, mistakes, unforeseen conditions, the weather, the local and global economy. The construction industry C-Suite doesn't build buildings; they make deals, build relationships, and manage profits. The frontline builds. These are the people business relies on (you can't sell the product, service or deal without a way to deliver it). These are the people we tend to forget the most. In construction, they risk their lives and family's well-being everyday they are on the job. And, once the job is done, they may or may not have another one to go to.

Frontline employees, frontline managers, and mid-level managers are the most important, under-appreciated, least recognized contributors to an organization's bottom line. The frontline managers carry the burden of orchestrating people and teams to get the job done and communicate up the chain. They get the lowest quality training and are often forgotten in leadership learning paths (there may be a class here or there but it is rare to see ongoing development plans). They are usually highly skilled in the technical aspects of the job, have gained recognition through high-performance, and (hopefully) have a natural talent for being a leader. But, how many frontline managers do you know who have been through real leadership training? How many mid-level managers (managers of managers) have found themselves leading larger and larger teams relying only on natural leadership skills and examples from their own supervisors (there are equal odds those examples are great or horrible). Studying a CEO is not going to help the frontline or mid-level manager. They need exposure to tools and techniques and to be able to discuss how they can apply them immediately. Anyone can watch a recorded webinar, take a self-paced online course, read a book, etc. How many opportunities are there to dissect a topic? Coaching and peer-to-peer learning are powerful techniques we do not see often enough below senior leadership. Being able to hear what has worked along with what didn't work for others; being able to ask questions.

I have spent the latest part of my career focused on what I call: organizational learning and development. This more than training, more than learning and development; it recognizes that people are the engine that runs strategy, process and results. It is the people doing the business of the business who are the experts. These are the people most impacted by change. They need training, discussion and exploration as much; if not more, than senior managers. I am hoping The Zip Syndicate can provide a venue for people at the frontline and mid-level of organizations to gain access to what senior and c-suite executives are exposed to on a regular basis.