4. President Barack Obama's inaugural address put the nation on notice. If we want to get things done, we better work together. "For as much as government can do and must do ," Obama said. "It is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies." From the inception of his campaign, Obama has stressed what political commentators (notably David Brooks of the New York Times ) might call the "you factor." That is, if you want to make it happen, do it yourself. Government will help, but you need to demonstrate initiative. You F a c t o r
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11. ACTION NOTE: Can you have too much " you factor " on your team? Yes. Every manager will want to have employees so self-directed, but if their self gets ahead of team direction then disorganization will follow. A company of 100 self-directed leaders is terrific; a company of 100 individually oriented leaders is chaos. Therefore, leaders at every level must submit their leadership to the needs of the organization. Successful leaders can leverage the " you factor " in their leadership. Done correctly it encourages ownership of problems and their solutions. It makes people feel more in control of their own destiny. Now in our time of economic travail that sense of control will be essential to getting ourselves and our organizations moving forward again. You F a c t o r
