The Lead Archives - understand-culture

The Vocabulary of the Lead

Lead by example. The leader does the work that the team is asked to do.

Lead from the front. The leader goes first and takes the same risks.

Roll up your sleeves. A manager who rolls up his or her sleeves joins in the actual work.

A hands-on manager. This is a boss who works close to the details, sometimes too close.

Player-coach. This is a manager who leads the team and also does part of its work.

My door is always open. Anyone can come and talk to the boss.

Take the heat. The leader accepts criticism for the team.

Fall on your sword. A leader resigns or takes full blame to protect others.

“I Do Not Wish Your Advice”

On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln called his cabinet together. He had written the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase recorded the meeting in his diary.

Lincoln explained why he was acting now: “The rebel army is now driven out, and I am going to fulfil that promise.” He told them: “I do not wish your advice about the main matter – for that I have determined for myself.” Then he read the proclamation.

First Among Equals

Justice Felix Frankfurter said: “The Chief Justice is primus inter pares.” The Latin means “first among equals.” Chief Justice William Rehnquist said that his vote “carries no more weight” than the vote of any other justice.

The chief justice still has real power. He speaks first at the justices’ conference and proposes a vote. When he votes with the majority, he decides who writes the opinion of the Court.

Absolute Responsibility

The 2002 edition of US Navy Regulations states: “The responsibility of the commanding officer for his or her command is absolute.” A captain may hand authority to subordinates. But the regulations say this “shall in no way relieve the commanding officer of his or her continued responsibility.”

On June 17, 2017, the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant ship. Seven sailors died. In August the Navy relieved the commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson. The Seventh Fleet cited his “absolute accountability for the safe navigation of Fitzgerald.”

Project Oxygen

In early 2009 Google began a study called Project Oxygen. It used performance reviews, feedback surveys and other data to find out what makes a good manager. The first item on its list was “Be a good coach.” The second was “Empower your team and don’t micromanage.”

In 2018 Google updated the list. It added “Is a strong decision maker.” The list still began with “Is a good coach.”

The HP Way

At Hewlett-Packard, the company’s way of working became known as the HP Way. The founders insisted on “first-name informality.” Employees received goals but no fixed method for reaching them. HP’s 1977 objectives described the aim of “allowing the individual great freedom of action in attaining well-defined objectives.”

In 1995 David Packard published a book called The HP Way.

The CEO in a Cubicle

At Intel, the chief executive Andrew Grove worked in a standard cubicle. In January 1995 an article titled “The Education of Andrew Grove” said: “Grove sits in a cubicle precisely to eliminate barriers between chief executive and staff.”

The article added: “When he is around, anybody can stop by and bend his ear, even to tell him he screwed up on a decision.”

The Bullpen

Michael Bloomberg became mayor of New York City on January 1, 2002. He cleared out the biggest room in City Hall and made it an open office. It was called “the bullpen.” Dozens of aides and managers sat together in it.

In 2019 Bloomberg wrote that at City Hall he sat “right in the middle.” At his own company, he wrote, “I don’t have a private office, no less a corner office.”

The First Fireside Chat

On March 12, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke on the radio about the banking crisis. He began: “I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking.” He promised to explain “what has been done in the last few days, why it was done.”

Near the end he said: “It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail.”

Follow Me

“Follow Me” is the motto of the US Army Infantry School. A statue of an infantry soldier carries the same name.

The statue was dedicated in 1960 as “The Infantryman.” Four years later it moved to the new Infantry Hall and was renamed “Follow Me.” Retired Maj. Gen. Jerry White of the National Infantry Foundation said the statue “would be the rallying cry for the Infantry.”