In chal­leng­ing times, most lead­ers spend the major­ity of their time play­ing defense.  This means time spent review­ing cash flow, sales reports, and finan­cials so they can make the best reac­tive and tac­ti­cal deci­sions in order to sur­vive.  Cost cut­ting, expense con­trol, layoffs…..ugh! 

Deal­ing with these very real sce­nar­ios can really bring a leader down.  And the unfor­tu­nate thing is that, if he spends too much time each day focused on these activ­i­ties for too long, he and his team will begin to lose sight of why they do what they do.  They will lose sight of the mis­sion, they will no longer see oppor­tu­nity, and they will lose hope. 

Ulti­mately, if the leader has both eyes down on the data, the organization’s health and cul­ture will suffer.

(more…)