To lead, it is important to establish strategic alliances.
The higher you go in the organization, the more you need to accomplish through others. The higher you go in an organization the more isolated you become from important information, if you are not learning from others. The higher you go in an organization, there are fewer people who are willing to tell you the truth they think you don’t want to hear, for fear of being shot as the messenger.
Two-way Street
A strategic alliance needs to be a two-way street. You need to provide your alliance members the support and honesty that you want from them. There are those who you can mentor,
Like any generalization, I am sure the rules are not universally true. They do provide an interesting opportunity to be sensitive to other multicultural norms.