IMHO, inward focus results from using the traditional top-down command and control approach to managing people. This makes everyone manage up, managing their relationship with their dictator boss, rather than managing down that would be managing the work and helping to make work easier, safer, of higher quality, more productive, etc, etc.

Beating the competition is very easy if a company would unleash the full potential of creativity, innovation, productivity, motivation, and commitment of their employees. This mother lode can only be unleashed by using the opposite of top-down because top-down demeans, demotivates and demoralizes employees causing them to treat their work similarly.

To better understaand the right and wrong ways to manage people, please read these Leadership Articles starting with the article “Leadership, Good or Bad”.

Best regards, Ben