Leading From A Smaller Chair!

Over the years, we've become familiar with the typical conference room setting of Corporate America where there sits a "whale of a conference table" end-capped by one or two, high leather chairs and flanked by a series of substantially smaller chairs. For those of us who have attended a corporate meeting, we have observed and at times, participated in the shuffling of positions where hierarchy has often been closely monitored by those whose professionalism is defined by their authority. During these occasions, we experience traditional corporate symbolism in it's finest form where definitively and demonstratively, leaders exact their positions of authority for subordinates to align behaviors in accordance. Powerful are these images for first-time managers, especially as veteran colleagues wisper advice on corporate etiquette while they smudgily greenhorn your reputation to cohorts. Considering the effort to produce this orchestrated display of authority, how much if any can be attributed to higher productivity? How effective is symbolism in gaining admiration from subordinates and does it contribute to improved workplace efficiency?

Times are changing, as younger generations show immunity to figures of authority and desire almost immediate access to positions of authority. In contrast, many mid-career professionals only aspire to have enough authority to lend credence to their "qualified" opinions. Faced with the ever increasing complexity of employee behavior, leadership has been forced to capitulate on traditional forms of organizational behavior. As symbolic gestures that perpetuate authority prove ineffective, leaders are finding it advantageous to allow for greater team independence, create more opportunity for freelance work, and streamline pathways to leadership. This is done to accomodate the demands of future leaders, tomorrows innovators freshly graduated from most colleges or B-schools. Forgotten in the equation are mid-career professionals who often opt-out of executive-level positions in favor of mid-level management positions as workplace balance outweigh career goals. These seasoned professionals understand the importance of the individual contributor and are satisfied with possessing enough "juice" or authority to remain effective, and a credible professional. To them, leading from a smaller chair offers significant reward as there are fewer headaches than from assuming the overall responsibility of an organization which is typically a never-ending proposition.