How much do you trust your boss?
In a perfect organizational world, we would be blessed with transformational servant leaders who are intrinsically motivated to provide benefits to their followers. But in the real world, bosses are rarely that accommodating. We nevertheless expect our leaders to make things better for both the business and our careers.
Until only recently, we presumed that leaders should dominate and followers must do as they’re told. But after several revolutions, labor movements, human-rights legislation and the spread of democracy, the world has radically changed.
Henry Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State under President Richard M. Nixon, was a master at extracting people’s best work.
When his chief of staff once handed in a foreign-policy report, Kissinger asked, “Is this your best work?”
