What kind of leadership should c-level executives provide during organizational change?
The up-front, straight to the point answer is active, everyday leadership, directly applied to the focal point of the change. The problem is that many c-level executives dont seem to know about that requirement. To help convey the important point about needed leadership, we talk about ACDC leadership. Most c-level execs spend their time using delegative leadership during the day-to-day running of the business. They spot problems, issues and opportunities, and delegate them to others for handling. Thats DC leadershipdelegation from the c-level. But during big change initiatives, c-level execs must consciously move from DC to ACwhere A stands for aggressive, active, architect, and advance man/woman. AC leadership calls for a real shift that many c-level execs have never made (and some cannot make it!). Heres where the folks on the change team come inthey can ask for itand then point out when they are not getting it! The goal is to avoid the typical situation: the c-level exec(s) show up
