When I roam the halls of the executive suites where I consult, what I often discover is that many senior managers, V.P.s (and even CEOs in some cases) are more focused on the monitoring and maintenance of the reports, scorecards and dashboards that are meant to help them make strategic decisions, rather than standing back and understanding what the report is trying to tell them.
If a poor technician responds to a blinking red indicator light on a piece of equipment by taping over it or removing the bulb, the poor manager will respond similarly to an indicator on a performance report.
The strategic manager will instead see this as an improvement opportunity and look for root cause rather than simply addressing the symptom.
