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Leadership SecretsThe Five Secrets of CIA Leadership

The call from the CIAs seventh floor executive suite sounded urgent, Come up right

away. I tried to review possible topics as I scurried to the elevator. I neverconsidered

imagined I would be asked a question that would change my life and launch me on ajourney to uncover five secrets of CIA leadership.

As I stepped into the office, the official had his head down, signing papers. I glanced outthe window over the tops of trees surrounding the headquarters building and looked at the

Virginia and Maryland countryside. My eyes turned back inside the office at the shelved

mementoes and books spanning the executivess amazing 30-plus- year internationalcareer. After a few seconds, he looked up and asked:,

Mike, why is it when I pull the levers, nothing happens?

My mind reeled. What is he asking? Is it about the reward or metrics system? Or whythe top ofodthe organization is disconnected from the bottom? At the confounding

question, I experiencedthe a small flash of self-disappointment, which when a boss asksa confounding question. The self-disappointment quickly turned into a deeperworry.

After all, aA top executive at the CIA, the nations first line of defense, was feelingfeels

powerless. How could that be when he had every trapping of power: a large office, acommanding title, well-documented authorities, and extraordinary financial and

personnel resources, well-documented authorities, and a commanding title?

I recall stammering something about bureaucratic impediments, but as . But as I later

reflected on the question, I realized thatbureaucracy alone couldnt explain it.

My worry I began to worry about the deeper meaning of the question: there were inherentinefficiencies imbedded in the nations national security apparatus that gave, at least this

one leader, a sense of powerlessness.

Worry gradually transformed into deep curiosity, and I searched inside and outside the

CIAs gates to find universal answers. Later I worked with other government and private

sector executives who, during unguarded moments, expressed the same frustration thatmy superior had. made the same admission. I also discovered that middle managers and

first-line supervisors felt a similar lack of control. These revelations raised other

questions. Who actually, which raised another question, who really holds the power in

an organization? Anyone? Shouldnt solid, old-fashioned strategic planning pull all thistogether so that levers work? Whats reallygoing on?

I obsessed over the levers question and launched a decade- long journey to solveunmaskthis important leadership conundrum. My journey led me to conferences, to The journey

described in this book pushed me into,private and public sector organizations,

conferences, and to many ofthe nationss top management schools and corporateuniversities. Because employees do all the work of an organization, I turned the levers

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