We must know enough to be effective.
Before I demand anything, I must first understand my needs. When I aim to improve something, I need to have a clear picture of what excellence looks like. When I make buying decisions, I must know what constraints I’m working within.
As a leader, it’s crucial to take the time to learn and understand enough to be effective. Merely demanding improvements in IT, processes, and automation serves no one. Constantly complaining about what’s broken is demoralising.
Instead, I must make a conscious effort to understand my environment—its constraints, possibilities—and push my team to strive for bold, audacious goals in IT and business systems improvement. Leadership is about self-education and leading from the front while driving change.