Perfecting the Art of the Interview
As I mentioned in first email, the topic for our discussion today is "position management." Just to be sure we are on the same page, let me define that for us. "Position management" is experienced by prominent leaders when they fall heir to traditions that create sanitized, protective environments in which they must carry out their work.
R.R. Working within the bounds of a semi-flexible bubble.
That's it exactly. Shall we start with the first question?
R.R. Green and go.
A leader's ability to get outside of that bubble that surrounds them is largely a function of his ability to balance the inherent tension between discretion and influence. You have to rely on other people and they are going to use discretion about what information they make available to you. How do you figure out what you should know? And how do you figure out whom you can trust?
R.R. It's reading copiously. It's knowing about people. And just paying attention. And listening to what it is that scares people, what it is that motivates them, inspires them, hurts them. And watch. Then as you see someone give evidence of certain traits, concerns, or aspirations, there are certain demonstrations of behaviors and attributes that lead one to the conclusion that they are open, aggressive, assertive -- in terms of learning -- and so you feel comfortable with them.
Q.2. When you find out about something -- after the fact -- that you weren't told, but you want to know, how do you respond?
R.R. If you have to scream or yell, you have lost. Doesn't mean that you can't get mad. Doesn't mean that you can't express anger. But, by and large, yelling is indicative...
But if you are yelling because you have truly lost control, then you are no good to yourself or anyone else. It is very unproductive -- it doesn't work. Or, you've shown a vulnerability that then simply provides an incentive to others to goad you into exactly that same response again. Which is again depriving you of the ability to demonstrate composure, which is crucial for someone who is ostensibly responsible for other people.
Q.3. Leaders have to have an undistorted feel for the variety and complexity of the uncertainties that emerge with lightening speed outside the leadership bubble. Specialists in information processing call this requisite variety. Requisite variety is messy. How do you deal with it?
R.R. It's messy and involved. And it's called contact. It's called getting out in the mud, the blood, and the beer. It's called getting involved in your neighborhood, your community. You go out and talk to an awful lot of people. And get involved in different things. And give a darn. Read newspapers. It's a case of being attentive. And being involved. Get out to do things. I understand how hard that can be, and how fortunate I've been. But it's almost always paying attention. It's always fascinating to me how often someone will meet someone -- and I'm included in that -- and not realize who they just talked to. And not understand the implications. Networking. But it has to be from the bottom-up, not from the top down. It's just time and…
