Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Individual Leaders Can Drive Short-term Success

I have seen organizations who are led by incredibly talented and charismatic leaders accomplish a certain level of success and fame. These people are often very exciting to be around. You often see them on the media circuit—Heck, some even may show up on Oprah! Others are like the Pied Piper. They are leading the parade and everyone else is following them around. People become infatuated with them. In essence, every industry or field of endeavor has its own rock stars.

This is all great. There's only one problem. Eventually, this “messiah” retires, or dies, or gets a big head and moves on to what he or she believes to be greener pastures. If the organization has not been thoughtful and careful, this can leave a leadership void that creates a sucking sound that is deafening. Some people start companies from scratch, work their whole lives to build something of value, and then turn it over to their children. Within two generations, many of these companies go from nothing to success and back to nothing. The next generation doesn't have the same focus, work ethic, or drive that the founder had in creating and running the business.

I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. A man in my neighborhood started a contracting business and built enough success to move his family to a much nicer area and provide his children the education, opportunities, and best things in life, which he had never had access to. When his oldest ...