Tip O'Neill said "All politics is local." So, too, is leadership. That lesson is often hard to learn, as John's experience demonstrates.

John, an IT executive, arrived in Washington, DC in early 2001, after having successfully navigated the Y2K transition for a large insurance company in Connecticut. He had settled in a new position in to a government contracting IT company headquartered in Northern Virginia when 9/11 struck.

The changes that John had to deal with demonstrate how what had worked for him in the insurance industry no longer made sense in his new job.

As 9/11 proved, change in the IT government contracting world evolves at an alarming rate. Almost overnight, the planned applications his company provided the federal government were scrapped and new ones, many as yet undeveloped, were being asked for. His firm scrambled to identify and then acquire or develop new technologies to address the government's ramped up security requirements.

The pace of change thrust upon John was far greater than he had ever experienced before, as the insurance industry had not gone through such a dramatic and rapid shift in requirements. The change was also more complex, due to the far greater array of technologies available or in development in the IT industry.

John also found himself working in a vastly different competitive landscape. The competitors in the IT industry in the greater Washington area are vast in number and varied in size and in what they provide in services and products. Moreover, partners and competitors change overnight with mergers and acquisitions, with new entries into the marketplace, and with the contracting requirements that often have your competitor becoming a subcontractor on the same project.

That's not all. The workforce in the government contracting IT industry is educated, professional, and mobile. Unlike the insurance industry where turnover is far less, people are far more likely to change companies, seek new challenges, work on different projects, and yearn to keep abreast of technological advancements.

The dilemma John faced was how to adapt to his new work situation, knowing he couldn't just mimic what he had done in the insurance industry. How much of his experience and previous approaches could he simply reuse? How much did he have to adapt in order to succeed in his new job? And, what new ways of leading would he have to master?

He found that some of what he had done before was applicable. He could use his well-honed ability to plan projects thoroughly and to collaborate with colleagues and subordinates. And, though he was used to some complexity and change, he had to adapt to and work with a far greater degree of complexity and much faster rate of change. Finally, he had to learn how to deal with professionals who had more autonomy, less loyalty, and a strong desire to be challenged and grow continuously.

John's experience is not unusual for leaders who move from one industry to another - successful leaders inevitably adapt to their new situation.

Therein lies the key lesson, one that Tip O'Neill knew full well and that John learned when he moved to take on his new job. Leadership, like politics, is local. Leaders must not overlook that fundamental reality. Rather, leaders must determine how their situation is distinctive and different, and then decide how to adapt their leadership to take those differences into account.

The differences include such things as:

· The nature of the industry - insurance isn't like IT, the energy industry isn't like retail, etc. · The culture of the organization - some organizations focus on planning, others on execution, some focus on sales, others on customer service, some are highly collaborative while others are top-down, etc. · The people who work for you - some folks work well together, others do better alone, some teams are energetic and integrated, others are in separate locations and less connected, etc.

How is your organization distinctive? What does that mean about how you have to adapt in order to be effective? How well have you succeeded at that so far? What else can you do?

A recent Harvard Business Review article, Power Play, states, "empirical research shows - that being politically savvy and seeking power pay off." And yet so many aspiring leaders view both power and politics negatively.

Often, as I coach executives, my task is to help them accept and embrace the importance of politics and power and learn how to become better at both of them.

How do you view power and politics? To what extent has your reluctance to use them been an obstacle in your career and a limitation to your effectiveness? What might you do differently?

George Carlin, the comedian, said, "I always do whatever's next."

Good advice. Especially for leaders whose calendars are jammed and who spend their days fighting one fire after another.

Sometimes, it's best just to do whatever is on your plate, and keep moving.

Email archie@archietinelli.com