For anyone who is a regular reader, you will know that I see my job as RedBalloon CEO as delivering on our vision and values whilst keeping everyone aligned to the plan.

My buddy David Cunningham shared this gem with me this morning – and given that I have just written a few posts on the fact that I am currently working on the painted picture document it is really quite fitting.

“As a leader, our role is to be democratic in the planning stage but once it is time to implement our role changes to being autocratic“.

I’ve heard many leaders reiterate this…. all they want from their people is to deliver on the plan. The planning is the time to for people to contribute their ideas. And if people contributed to the plan, designed it, and signed off on it…. then it is our job as a leader to hold them to it.