Without knowing how or where to provide higher-level vision, strategy and flow management, leaders often find themselves working at the operational level, or, using the metaphor of “flight levels,” in a state of “level collapse.”

It’s a double-whammy productivity killer because it strips people working at the operational level (Level 1) of their autonomy and empowerment, but it also impoverishes the coordination and strategic levels (Levels 2 and 3), where end-to-end and intent-based leadership is desperately needed in order for operational activities to thrive.

This talk reveals ways to identify “level collapse” behaviors (perhaps even in yourself!) and generative ways to rise out of Level 1 and provide important and necessary leadership at Levels 2 and 3.

Level Collapse: when managers do less than what they should do

when managers work below their intended organisational level, neglecting higher-level strategic and coordination responsibilities for lower-level operational tasks

Flight Levels, like a plane at different heights

• level 3: strategy
• level 2: coordination
• level 1: operational

mental model to see what happens in the organisation

https://flightlevels.io/what-is-flight-levels

we need leadership at all these levels

How to recognise the symptoms of a Level Collapse?

• managers consistently doing work that should be delegated
• lack of long term planning
• team members not understanding direction or strategy

Diagnostic questions

• how often does your managers give clear direction in goals and strategy
• engage in day to day operational tasks
• give your team the autonomy
• discuss the brooder org context of your work
• give guidance on how your work aligns with company obj
• spend more time on immediate tasks or future plannings
• talk about professional deve and career growth
• invite you to pair
• …

what motivates people

https://www.factor.ai/research/expensive-mindfulness-interventions-dont-work-do-this-instead

https://factor.ai/research/my-employees-are-demotivated-what-should-i-do

Competency mismatch (Peter principle)

https://factor.ai/research/why-do-most-strategic-goals-fail

Isn’t this simply micromanagement?

Questions to ask at different levels

• why and when -> level 3
• what and how well -> level 2
• how -> level 1

Strategy Deployment

https://matthewphilip.wordpress.com/level-collapse/