Scout, not a Leader. Predicting a New Role for Organizations

Have you every noticed how deliberately Clinton, Bush, and Obama speak? You have to talk slowly and predictably when you're trying to lead a nation of 300 million. Leaders can't wander.

Scouts, by contrast, can wander into places they've no intention of settling or go far ahead or far behind. The old wagon trains had scouts who looked ahead of where the group was going. A scout's job is to know the terrain, identify threats and opportunities, and suggest strategies and new locations.

Funny how so many people are keen to lead organizations when, really, that role is so constraining. You have to be careful not to make sudden movements or get too far ahead when you're leading. It seems to me that the role of scout would be more interesting.

Maybe it's time to appoint scouts to work with organizations. The CS, of Chief Scout, could be the one who shows less regard for the group and their realities than fascination trends and possibilities. Such a role has to be even more valuable as change accelerates and becomes more complex.

You've read it here first. Within the next year or two, at least one Fortune 500 firm will announce the appointment of a CS.