re: "Top Down" or "Bottom's Up"

Hillel at Jackson Street Fish Market has an interesting post, "Are you a “Top Down” or “Bottoms Up” kind of person?"

It's a good read, and shares some points with Tom Peter's posts on the topic of who the most important people are for your business: The Employees.

That said, have you been in Whole Foods lately? Have you watched their staff? Now, maybe it's just the team at the Bellevue, WA store, but I see far too much lack of attention to the customer, and way too much talking amongst the staff about non-work stuff.

I'm sure there's a balance to be struck between these two methods, as one can be too extreme in either case. Plus, there are a fair number of studies that articulate which leadership styles work in various environments. And, not every leader (or follower) can easily switch gears between these styles. So, this 'choice' is not so clear-cut as one would think.

Food for thought, nonetheless. Especially when you're considering building a team, or joining a team!