The Role Of A Business Leader
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then said the cat, it doesn't matter.
Lewis Carroll
Bob and I are frequently consulted by business leaders who have come to a fork in the road. The decision of which road to take is simpler than Alice's because a business leaders role is a known quantity.
A business leaders role is to ensure the economic performance of their company.
There are three opposing forces that must be navigated along the road of economic performance. One is the shareholder base that wants stock value, another is the market base that demands lower cost/greater value over time, and the third is the employee base that demands more resources over time.
This then is the role of a business leader; to ensure economic performance while negotiating the opposing forces of shareholder base, market base, and employee base.