the corporation” was the rage (the term was the title of a best-
seller by Michael Hammer and James Champy), which often
meant slashing staff, not rethinking every operation as the
authors intended. Ruthless management may succeed in hold-
ing change at bay for a while, but only visionary leadership will
succeed over time. Proof of that was the wild success, for a time,
of the dot-coms, where talent was king. When visionary leader-
ship is combined with sound business practices, the result can
be success that lasts.
In Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters says that organizations that
succeed over time will have certain characteristics in common:
- A flatter, less hierarchical structure.
- More autonomous units.
- An orientation toward high-value-added goods and service.
- Quality controls.
- Service controls.
- Responsiveness.
- Innovative speed.
- Flexibility.
- Highly trained and skilled workers who use their minds as
well as their hands. - Leaders at all levels, rather than managers.
These leaders will take on new tasks within their organizations,
tasks unimagined a generation ago, but vital now. They include
- Defining the organization’s mission, so as to frame its
activities and inform its work force. - Creating a flexible environment in which people are not
only valued, but encouraged to develop to their full po-
tential, and treated as equals rather than subordinates.
On Becoming a Leader