The Leader as the Facilitator: How to Effectively Lead Knowledge Workers

Historically, leadership has largely been considered a top-down function. Leaders were masters of their crafts who doled out their knowledge over time to eager apprentices aspiring to gain wisdom. Enter the “Knowledge Worker.” Knowledge Workers are people who know more about what they are doing than their boss does. The ever-increasing presence of Knowledge Workers in today’s workplace presents many challenges to modern-day leaders and requires the leader to transition from boss to facilitator. This article from the Fall 2016 issue of Training Industry Magazine examines how Alan Mulally leveraged the skills of his team to lead a successful turnaround for the Ford Motor Company.