Presidents rated as mediocre are often described in their performance assessments as aloof. Effective presidents hold a group meeting early in the day. Whereas mediocre presidents often hold only the obligatory full-organization meeting at the end of the day, effective presidents tend to gather everyone in the company in the morning to set the initial direction and priorities. They make sure that everyone leaves the meeting in agreement on which issues are important. They then regroup with everyone later in the day to see where things stand.
Effective presidents have lunch with the plant managers.
Mediocre managers usually have lunch alone or with their direct reports. Sharing information with line managers over lunch tends to make the work in the afternoon more focused and energized. One reason is that such information is not distorted or ignored as it filters down from the senior level to the plant manager level. The information gathered from The Looking Glass Experience has helped to show, in the context of CCL's learning environment, what mediocre and effective leadership look like. It is much easier to recognize and characterize mediocrity in the CCL environment than in the real world, where mediocrity often isn't given a second thought and isn't challenged.