1.5 - About University

4.9U SING P ROFESSIONAL E XPERTISE:A MODERN L EADERSHIP S KILLInspired by William Bridges, Peter Drucker, Robert Reich, and thousands of consulting workshop participants.Today’s leaders need to use the high-quality advice of many expert specialists in order to effectivelymanage their piece of the business. There used to be a position known as GeneralManager—someone who generally knew everything in his or her field of work. In the neweconomy, such people are rare birds. Now, leaders must seek expert advice on informationtechnology, finance, human resource management, legal issues, public relations, economics,environment, health and safety—the list goes on and on. The purpose of this tool is to helpleaders obtain and use knowledge workers’ professional advice more effectively.In a nutshell …Working with Information Systems (IS) professionals from the head office, the RegionalManager of a large retail chain said, “When a new IS professional comes into the region, eitherI, myself or one of my managers is happy to spend some time helping the new analyst understandour operations. I am no IS expert and need advice on the best use of InformationTechnology (IT) systems. If the professional continues to expect me to ‘hold his or her hand’ Iget annoyed, because we need value-added advice. On the other hand, the real problem IS peopleare those who come in and try to tell me how to run my business. That’s my job! I need tounderstand how IT can help us, but our own management needs to make the decisions andlive with them. We need both inputs on the table—IS and Operations. The best IS professionalsunderstand this give-and-take approach.”Think of how much time you spend seeking good specialist advice. Think of how frustratingit is not to get the effective and innovative advice you need. While professionals need todeliver their expertise effectively, you, as leader, also need to do some things to ensure youreceive the best possible advice [☛ 13.11 Delivering Expertise]. The best leader−professional relationshipsare business partnerships in which neither party feels one up nor one down over theproject. The professional “knowing better” than the business leader is dysfunctional, becauseno professional can understand or be accountable for your operation the way you can. Theopposite approach is also dysfunctional, because you, as leader, can’t possibly master every areaof changing professional knowledge, yet you need innovative solutions to your problems.Thus, modern professionals need to be business partners and consultants for you:Leader too aggressive Business Partner Leader too passive“I’ll tell the professional.” “Let’s find the best solution together.” “Tell me what to do.”E FFECTIVE USE OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE: SOME DOSIn order to be a better business partner, you and the professional need to:❑Take the time up front to clarify your underlying needs. Pressures on you, especiallytime pressures, often push you to ask for solutions rather than identifying your under-132 SECTION 4 TOOLS FOR DESIGNING PRODUCTIVE PROCESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS