Pro’s
Some of the most successful businesses in the world have Chairpeople and CEO’s that no one knows about. Who is the CEO of 3M? John Deere? Nestle? Toyota? (I don’t know why I chose those, they were the first to come to mind). Each business is very very successful in its chosen market, and because of this, I have made a big assumption in believing that the teams that work within these businesses must be very good at what they do. Yet each one does not appear to have a leader that people readily recognise. They might be doing a fantastic job in role, providing vision and letting their people do their jobs well, but as far as Mr/Mrs Public knows, they barely exist.
Con’s
Some teams need the guidance, authority and presence of a leader to function effectively. A ‘barely know he exists’ leader creates animosity and questions such as ‘What does he/she even do?’ I for one have worked for several leaders that barely existed as far as the team was concerned, and we worked in spite of that person, not for them. The team (myself included) were bitter, wondering why we worked so hard when our absent leader seemed to do so little. There was a sense of relief when they left, and a hope for someone who had a deeper impact in the future.
What are your thoughts? A leader who is well known and public, or a leader that you barely know exists? We would love to know what you think