You want to be a leader? Lead

John Glowacki Jr., the chief technology officer for Computer Sciences Corp., says there is no substitute for face-to-face communication and direct contact with customers, employees and business associates if you want to be a good leader. He tells CIOupdate.com that using remote collaboration tools like audio, video and web conferencing, and the telephone are fine, but you need first-hand contact and experience to know what is really happening with your company and your markets.

"I can see 20 PowerPoint presentations on a given operation, and still learn more in a day or two on the ground visiting people up and down the ranks," he said in the article for CIOupdate.com.

Glowacki said it is easy to be removed from day-to-day issues the higher you rise in the ranks, or become preoccupied with technology issues and lose sight of people and leading an organization.

"The reality is certain techniques for successful leadership are not very complex and getting out among the stakeholders is a simple and effective means to this end," he said.

Glowacki said this is not a complicated matter, but it may mean a good deal of travel, and depending on the business, trips overseas. But he said it is well worth the effort and the expense. The computer executive said the ground-level view tells him whether or not operations are working, gives him insights into problems, a chance for direct communication and opportunities to make things better by connecting the dots.

"So what is really being accomplished in these trips are first-hand observation and assessment as well as focused communication opportunities," he tells the website. "The trick is to not miss the opportunities and even create them."

For more on what leadership means:
- see this CIOupdate.com article

Related Articles:
Mistakes CIOs make when managing leaders
Stay focused when times get tough 
Seven ways to deal with IT workers in a recession