When in doubt take a step back, give support, be generous, help.
Building barricades and having it your way might give you a temporary sense of control, the feeling you are about to win. It is very rarely the case.
Kindness is the only way forward.
Tag: team work
Gripes go up
If you are in a position of power, be mindful not to complain to people who report to you.
Work is probably tougher, you are asked to juggle a load of different tasks, you are supposed to find time to talk to people, you negotiate, compromise, often work after hours, and I am sure at times it feels like simply too much to handle.
Yet, no one has forced that position onto you. You have a role that reflects the additional burdens, and most likely a salary that does that too. And if people who report to you can find the empathy to appreciate your difficulties, you are certainly more equipped (or you should be) to find the empathy to not push your frustration down the ranks.
Your organization might be flat, your management style open, friendly, and transparent.
But gripes go up.
That’s the only way you can affect change.
Private Reiben: Hey, so, Captain, what about you? I mean, you don’t gripe at all?
Captain Miller: I don’t gripe to you, Reiben. I’m a captain. There’s a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down. Always up. You gripe to me, I gripe to my superior officer, so on, so on, and so on. I don’t gripe to you. I don’t gripe in front of you.
Save Private Ryan
Not listening
Not listening is not only ignoring.
It is also finding weak reasons to continue on the path that is less risky, motivating the current situation with urgency, hiding behind busyness, coming up with own ways to define reality, diminishing the arguments of others, expressing agreement with words and not follow up with actions.
And most of all, it is about talking.
Better not ask
Sometimes we do not ask because we do not want to be an annoyance.
Our team needs a new tool to do their job, but the company is going through a difficult period, better not ask.
Our customers need a new feature, but Product already has their hands full, better not ask.
Our prospects do not understand our message, but management is solid on their vision, better not ask.
Of course, not asking simply means we are shifting the annoyance on somebody else, somebody who has less power, who is farther, whom complaints we cannot hear. Our team, our customers, our prospects.
Next time you are not asking, consider who you are annoying with your inaction. It’s a trade off, after all.
Rewards
If everyone gets a reward, is the reward less important?
I guess it depends.
If you are on the receiving end, you should be proud and celebrate. I know somewhere deep inside you will feel like it does not matter, like you are not truly the one whose work is being rewarded here, like it is not important. In fact, it is. Do make it count.
If you are on the giving end, you should probably ask some questions. What are we trying to achieve? Was there unfairness we are trying to remedy to? Is this a sufficient way to do that? What message are we sending? What are we going to do with the expectation we are now creating? How will we identify top performance going forward? Do we even care?
Reward is a beautiful way for companies to tell their people they have noticed and they care. Make sure it is understood.
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