I am regularly asked what can leaders do to stay on top of
work assignments, yet NOT be guilty of micromanagement. I offer a couple of
suggestions (please read and share with others!).
One, stop telling people HOW to do things! Get out of the
weeds. Instead, use intent. Spend time carefully crafting your intent
(essentially the what and why, also known as task & purpose) and share it
regularly with your team. Let them determine the HOW. Then, before they start
execution, have them share the HOW with you. This allows you to confirm they
will get to the desired destination (i.e. achieve your intent) while empowering
them to think for themselves and solve their own problems.
Let me offer a few things to help understand this concept.
One, click here to see the article on how GE ran circles around their
competitors in their high-end refrigerator line. Note especially the very clear use of intent in the 4th paragraph from the GE Appliances CEO. The rest is left to the
team to make it happen. They won’t disappoint! Secondly, here is a blog on“intent” with a great military example on the importance of the leader’s role
in providing intent for the team:
“Imagine your instructions are to storm a building, clear it of
hostiles, then go secure the roof to make sure that it’s all safe. You storm
the building and then head up to the roof. But, you have no cover. You’re fully
exposed to any of the baddies that may be lurking around. But you follow orders
and put your team in danger.
Now imagine the same scenario, but add the intent of the commander. You
are told to set up on the roof so you can watch the north road to ensure that
no one comes in on it. Knowing this and then seeing the roof with zero cover,
you can make the decision to head down one floor to a room with the windows
facing north. From this room you can watch the road (achieve the intent of the
order) and keep your team out of obvious sight from everyone in the area.”
Some great examples on the importance of intent. Your team
must hear and understand your intent very clearly, allowing them to make their
own decisions and think for themselves, all based on their understanding of
what exactly you expect from them. Clearly defining Purpose, End State, and any
Key Tasks (the 3 elements of intent) will help give people enough clarity on
the outcome, while still being broad enough guidance to allow them to figure
things out on their own.
It is a simple concept but when you see the value, you can
understand why this is such a powerful tool:
1. Buy-in /
Ownership. Let’s face it, when you provide the exact solution, you own it. People give the bare minimum. When it is
their solution, they won’t stop until it is successful. The pride and esteem
that comes from seeing one’s ideas become real are immeasurable.
2. Learning.
Rather than forcing the leader to do all the thinking, this approach engages
the full brain capacity of the entire team. As people figure things out on
their own, consistent with the leader’s intent, they learn, they grow, and they
prepare themselves for problem-solving at increasingly higher levels.
3. Initiative.
Know that when leaders offer up their solutions (i.e. they provide the HOW),
that IS the only solution that will ever come to the surface. If instead,
leaders offer intent and allow people to think on their own, the ideas never
stop flowing. Some may struggle (and
learn along the way). Others may very well revolutionize your business. As with
the GE example, organizations and leaders who incorporate this practice are
setting the market for others, leading the way with new ideas, products,
services, and initiatives that truly are game-changers.
4. Time. When
leaders dictate the HOW, they will find a long line outside their office every
time the conditions change. When leaders provide INTENT, and people determine
their own solutions, the line shortens and leaders can instead focus on what
they SHOULD be doing (higher level thinking, coaching and staff development,
etc.).
Win/win, right? This is how senior leaders communicate. They
provide intent, confirm understanding, then monitor execution, focusing on the
outcome – namely do people / teams achieve the intent?
If you are down in the weeds, try this approach. Use intent
and help unlock the full capability of your high performance team. Let your people think for themselves, solve
their own problems, meet your expectations. Provide clarity on intent and set
your people free. That’s…Leader Business!
P.S. You should know
that helping leaders understand intent…and many other concepts…are covered in
our “Leadership Excellence Course” or leadership “Boot Camp.” Maybe it is time for you, or your team
members, to put a few tools like this in their leader tool box. I’d like to
help. You can see information on this intense 3-day program -- HERE. Beginning
with our upcoming program in LA (Downey, CA) at the end of the month, for which
we have only a few remaining seats, we have plenty of opportunities for leaders
to go to the next level. Here is our
schedule for the remainder of the year:
Upcoming Leadership Excellence Course Schedule:
Let me know if you have candidates and we’ll find a way to
make it fit anyone’s budget and schedule! And, as a reminder, program graduates
will receive 36 PDUs / CPEs for completing this program (for CPAs and PMP
Project Managers, respectively). Lead
the Way!
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