christine e. middleton

“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” 

– Sandra Day O'Connor, former U.S. Supreme Court justice, who gives insight into politics, Bush Administration, important issues of our day from a judge’s perspective in The New Yorker.

Another aspect of this quote that is an important reminder:

As a manager, leader, CEO, PROACTIVELY seek insights from the front lines. Listen for yourself.

Be curious. Have regular dialogues to learn new ideas that save resources or innovate processes; alternatively, understand the complaints to avoid attrition or identify issues and address BEFORE they become crisis. 

DO NOT just accept reports (filtered interpretations) from those around you as truth. (Just look at GM’s most recent crisis as an example of why this is important.)