A friend of mine heard from his neighbor’s ex-plumber (long story) that a guy in his sister’s hometown was buried at his desk. It turns out the deceased was a rather colorful CEO at a Michigan factory that makes tongue depressors. His days were spent sitting at—or some say, strangely embracing—his desk. Hiding out behind his office-bunker door, he was rarely sighted except for when he made an appearance in his annual Christmas card photo. He posed for the same picture every year in a hideous holiday sweater, always sitting on top of what was sarcastically called around the office, THE desk.
While eating dinner at THE desk late one night, this notorious CEO evidently choked and died face down on his beloved, intricately carved, highly polished, heck of a desk. He was buried according to the final wishes recorded in his last will and testament:
I shall be buried in a grave precisely 10 feet 7 inches deep by 9 feet square, sitting in my favorite chair at my beloved desk. I wish to be mournfully lowered by the 6 men on the night shift who work the wood presses. I choose this for my final resting to ensure that no other person will ever enjoy the sweet attraction I felt for my desk.
Now, I’ve known CEOs who think a little too highly of their cutting-edge European office furniture or walk a little too close to codependency with their golf clubs or
cufflinks, but I’ve never come across a bury-me-at-my-desk Chief Executive Crazy like that. I bet they’re out there though. And the truth is that they’re really confused about what it means to be a leader. Let’s get one thing straight: You don’t lead from behind a desk.
Oh sure, I guess a desk can be attractive to some in an obsessive, materialist type of way, but a strong attachment to overpriced power-tripping collectibles is simply not a good use of leadership. Plus, it’s not the mental image you want to create for those you lead. We need to run—not walk—away from the misguided Wall Street notion that the CEO and the command center desk should be sealed away in an impenetrable fortress, perpetually unreachable by lowly admins or—God forbid—the public.
On the contrary. Leaders need to be out of the office, down on the floor, slapping the back of the 6 guys sweating it out on the wood press, asking them what they need in order to be the best wood pressers that tongue depressor users deserve. A leader’s office rarely generates much cash flow or wins quality awards. It’s their actions that make the difference. An office too easily becomes a high-security hiding place from which THE CEO pulls levers, barks orders, and falls in love with THE desk.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with an office. Just don’t get so attached to it that you don’t venture out. Instead, roam around and get to know people: ask about their frustrations, treat them to lunch, tell them about your vision, and ask for their input. To be a good leader, you need far more interaction than your desk can ever provide.