When chatting with leadership author and expert, John Baldoni, on the Leadership Caffeine Podcast (published on itunes last week), I asked him which of his books was his favorite. I loved his response…“The one I’m working on now.”

I’m just a few weeks away from the publication of book #2 for me, a collection of essays organized into helpful…self-help sections for professionals striving to survive and succeed (Leadership Caffeine-Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development), and try as I might to resist the urge to do this again (right away), I have to have a book in process in my life.

Next!  Bring on the Organizational Integrators and Informal Leaders!

(This means you, Product Managers and Project Managers.)

I’ve been hanging around professionals who function as organizational integrators for most of my career. These people are more commonly identified as product managers, project managers, team leaders and any of a number of additional titles and roles where there is heavy responsibility for outcome from cross-boundary activities with little formal authority. I’ve referenced these people as “informal leaders,” and am good with that label regardless of the occasional jibe that comes my way on this particular use of both informal and leader in the same breath.

Regardless of label, these individuals who build coalitions, navigate the stormy seas of crafting successful team environments and think about (and act on) issues from both the big and little picture perspective, are the people making things happen in organizations large and small.  Yes, I have a distinctly positive bias on the value, and a distinctly negative view on how organizations are leveraging and cultivating these professionals.

For many of these integrators, the work is hard, the pay mediocre and the grief nearly endless. Oh, and then there’s the respect issue from senior management.

Interestingly, the skills required to lead complex projects and drive change across organizational boundaries are increasingly the skills required to compete in this distributed, always-on world, where complexity is the norm and time compression seemingly inevitable.

The skills employed by the best integrators are increasingly valuable…and those who have them and who work on developing them, represent outstanding pools of talent for bigger, bolder and broader leadership roles over time.

A Big Idea Here Somewhere…and It’s Time to Talk:

Whether I’ve articulated it or not, there’s a big idea here somewhere, and I intend on finding and sharing it. The focus is on the art of leading without authority…in pursuit of driving results across boundaries.

The line of questioning for product managers, project managers and other integrators will focus on the challenges that you face in navigating your role and in developing your career. Consider these three as a great starting point:

1. What’s working?

2. What’s not?

3. What needs to change to better enable you and your colleagues to succeed?

Yes, these are open ended by design. It’s early.  And no, the focus is not on project process  nor on product management steps or frameworks, but rather on organizational, cultural and leadership issues that either support or hinder the efforts of integrators like you.  Along the way, we’ll explore the personal professional development issues for individuals in these roles as well.

Want to Talk?

I have a well-developed network of contacts in these communities and will be reaching out to these professionals. However, I’m curious to hear from people who I don’t know in industries and groups I’ve not encountered.

If you or someone you know might like to participate in a non-invasive, anonymity guaranteed discussion on the challenges and opportunities you see in your work as a product manager, project manager or organizational integrator of any type, I’m all ears.

Drop me a note and we will find a way to connect. For those who prefer a survey approach, I plan on releasing one after the first round of interviews.