02-24-2026
Imagine being dropped deep within a dense jungle, equipped with nothing but a topographical map and a compass, tasked with finding your way to safety. The map, with its depiction of the unchanging contours of the land — the steadfast ridges, meandering rivers and the telling curves of elevation — becomes your anchor in an unpredictable world.
Similarly, leaders navigating the complex landscape of team dynamics and organizational life benefit from a “base map” that reveals the enduring features of their environment. Just as a geographical map helps you interpret the terrain and chart your course, a leadership base map illuminates the essential elements that guide effective value creation, whether you’re leading a team, participating as a member or collaborating across functions.
In the wilderness, the map displays creeks, lakes and those critical elevation lines that reveal the lay of the land — tools to help you make sense of your surroundings and inform your next steps. In the workforce, our map serves the same purpose, though with different markers. We begin by charting three core roles a leader must embody: to lead, to manage and to coach. Visualize these not as isolated duties but as roles in constant interplay, each supporting and strengthening the others.
Next, we lay these roles beside the three primary functions expected of leaders: to orient, to perform and to adjust. These functions, much like the landscape’s natural cycles, form a continuous loop — an ever-turning wheel that propels progress and responsiveness.
When combined, these roles and functions create a nine-box grid leadership base map comprising nine critical components for performance. Picture these factors as interconnected points on your map, their relationships marked by contours that indicate the dynamic flow and interdependence within your leadership journey.
So where can you start? Reflect and ask yourself how well you are doing with the three core roles — leading, managing, coaching — and three core functions — orienting, performing, adjusting.
Over the rest of the series, we will dive deep into each of the intersections.
Tune in to my next Daniels Insights blog post, coming in late March, where we dive into these roles.
Keith Risinger is the executive director of leadership development at Eli Lilly and Company. Throughout his 26-year tenure, Risinger has had the opportunity to shape the leadership landscape within the organization. His experience is concentrated in and spans coaching, teaching and advising teams to be more effective at work. In his role, Risinger works closely with teams across Lilly, providing guidance and support to help them navigate the complexities of teaming and leadership aligning everyday effort to enduring value. When he's not working, you can often find him on the cranking end of a fishing rod, enjoying the tranquility and challenge of the sport.
