Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0 Revised Edition)

by Verne Harnish

the functional heads, who have been used to driving the business, need to adapt. They need to become more like coaches/advisors to the business unit leaders, rather than acting as their “bosses.” In turn, the heads of the business units need to lead as if they are individual CEOs. You don’t want weak “yes-people” heading up your business units. This transition is hardest for the traditional functional leaders — especially for those who were around in the earlier start-up phase. Used to making unilateral decisions, many will have to switch their style from telling to selling as they spend more time outside the organization garnering best practices and then sharing what they’ve learned among the business unit leaders. And respect for the functional leaders’ decisions will have to be earned, not blankly accepted simply because of their position.