Management evolution has overdone it in some species and is has become weak, even in survival mode in others,. Here is a list of 12 Protected Species that you need to take extreme care of, and also find and integrate. Note that the order above is correct. I did not start by saying ‘having a headcount to fill’. There should be permanent unfilled openings for these Species.
- Re-constructors of Elephants. You probably have already in the payroll all experts you could have in cutting the elephant into pieces. As a big animal, it was declared unmanageable, so it was dissected into trunks, tusks, ears, skin, tails and feet. And you have become proficiency in Parts-Management. But there is nobidy in the organization anymore able to recognise an elephant. You need those people. Analytical skills is a given, synthesis skills is Premium Luxury.
- Signal Spotters. Flooded within 24/7 information, your brain has lost the ability to distinguish between signal and noise. All seems urgent, important, needing a reaction. Noise in the system looks like signal, and real signals get buried into noise. You need Signal Spotters brave enough to say, that is noise, irrelevant, secondary, distracting, diverting energy. Even if the CEO does not see it.
- Space and time architects. Time is stolen every day. It’s not malicious. It is just how the system works. Space and time to think and to be oneself is destroyed but almost never not re-created. When it’s gone, it’s gone. You need people who can protect their own space and time, and build and protect the ones of people working for them. Imagine this two-sentence role description: I build spaces. I create time. If you see them hire them, no questions asked.
- Rightbrainers. You have probably hired all Leftbrainers who moved in front of you. You have everybody coming in on the basis of logic, analytical skills, fact based thinking and computational brains power. Your competitors have done the same, so the Leftbrainers with creativity and imagination, who can visualize things and think in a more holistic way, are a very rare, kind of species. You need to put a premium on those. Unless you think hat they only belong to an advertising agency. But even the Leftbrainers have infiltrated the agencies.
- Human Capital Investment Managers. I did not say Human Resources people. People bring in their human and social capital. You call it capital, right? You need the capitalists, Investment Fund Managers who can grow that capital by x % annual, unstoppable way. No individual growth, very bad investment. HR needs to reinvent itself as Human Capital Investment Fund Managers. I know, a mouthful.
- Lead(brok)ers. The absolute interdependence of things (people, systems, companies, countries) makes broker-ship a priority. Leader as broker is now essential. Broker and consensus-creating have nothing to do with each other. Find the definition of a broker and translate it into your managerial and leadership competencies. Even very senior people could simply spend all their time as brokers. That would be much better than attending powerpoint presentations.
To continue in the nest Daily Thought
(Original full version in New Leaders wanted, now hiring [1], Leandro Herrero, meetingminds 2007)