Well, Panic of Course!
- Darcy Patten
- May 3, 2018
- 2 min read
A few days ago I shared my thoughts about fear sabotaging the health of a company, which ultimately cripples innovation and generally makes life miserable for almost everyone. Identifying the problem is the first step, so what do we do next? Well, panic of course!
Step 1 - Accountability
While I believe corporate fear is a C-suite problem and cannot be passed off to Human Resources, the reality is that all it takes is for one person to have the courage to make a change. Just one team lead or one manager who decides to take a stand and empower their people to start the cascading effect. Soon others will notice and soon you will be seen as the fun or cool team. I know, we are living it.
Step 2 – Autonomy With Alignment
Most people are free willed, self starters who take pride in accomplishment. So, give them the freedom to operate with independent thought, but make sure they have a very clear target (the mission) with well understood boundaries (the principles) – otherwise you end up with a gunfight in a dark room. Tight feedback loops are critical to provide minor course adjustments during the journey to ensure you arrive at your destination. Make sure the mission and principles are created together with your team so there is ownership as opposed to “just another rule my boss made”.
For example: the mission is to build a grants system by Jan 1st due to legislative requirements and develop exceptional customer relationships. The principles to achieve this goal, 1) fast not perfect 2) daily scrum meetings 3) treat others like you would like to be treated yourself 4) trust > control 4) weekly demos 5) sit onsite with the client etc etc.
Step 3 – Management Health Check
Now this is where we really flip things on their head. Status reports are required every two weeks HOWEVER they are filled out by the team members ranking the managers ability to empower the team, remove obstacles and provide support and guidance. This needs to be 100% transparent so everyone can see the results and feel safe and it is the managers responsibility to address anything that needs addressing. The minute the manager solves one problem, it immediately shows they are listening and that they value the team’s opinions. This is one VERY POWERFUL thing!!
All this may seem radical and scary as all hell, but if just one leader has the faith and courage to take the leap, a team of 10 people will change from 1 brain with 9 zombies to 10 free thinking independent superheroes. And then unstoppable will soon be a word in your mission statement. As mentioned before, I know, we are living it.
Do you think I am nuts? Let me know, I welcome feedback, it is how I learn.
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