Know-How
Chapter One
1
Know-How
The Substance of Successful Leaders
Know-how is what separates leaders who perform—who deliver results—from those who don’t. It is the hallmark of people who know what they are doing, those who build long-term intrinsic value and hit short-term targets.
What gets in the way of finding people who can perform is the appearance of leadership. All too often I see people being chosen for leadership jobs on the basis of superficial personal traits and characteristics, such as:
•The seduction of raw intelligence: “He’s extremely bright, incisive, and very analytical. I just feel in my gut he can do the job.”
•A commanding presence and great communication skills: “That presentation was awesome. How she ever boiled down all that data onto the PowerPoints is beyond me. She certainly had the committee in the palm of her hand. Mark my words, she’s going to the top.”
•The power of a bold vision: “What a picture he painted of where we are going, moving forward.”
•The notion of a born leader: “The people in the unit love her. Such a morale bu ... read full excerpt from Know-How ebook
