On one of my recent (very cold) early morning walks I got to thinking about all the Monday morning quarterbacking that has been taking place over the last few weeks. From criticism of play calling by coaches to questions on whether a certain Second City quarterback was really too hurt to play, I realized that there is nothing easier than providing commentary from the sidelines. And, being that I still had a few miles to go on my walk, I started to apply this finding to the workplace and wondered -- Am I leading from the cheap seats? Since I am not a designer or a newswriter or a videographer or a clinician or a child or older adult health/behavior expert, do I make sure I give those who do have those skillsets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their work? Do I offer praise as much as I offer suggestions (which can sometimes be perceived as criticism)? Are e-mails from me welcomed or do they make the recipient think "Now what?"
Of course, my hope is that neither I, nor any of the other leaders in our department, are leading from the cheap seats. And, if we are, I hope that you will tell us and even more importantly, that we will take it to heart and make necessary changes. What kind of changes? Being more attentive to the great work that is done and recognizing that work directly with the individual responsible and publicly with others (we tried to incorporate Shout Outs for the public recognition, but haven't seen one lately -- which may be my pc). It is also important that we take a breather before launching into Monday morning quarterbacking. Do we have all the facts? Is the tone of our question helpful or hurtful? Are we seeking to make the situation better or just ascribe blame? Those of you who know me well, are aware that the last thing I am ever interested in is who to blame when something has not gone as we had hoped. Instead, the goal is always to right the ship as quickly as possible and learn from the misstep. I can have that attitude because I am so confident in the members of our team. Which gets back to the original subject of my early morning walk. When you truly view yourself as part of a team, the reasons for the wins and the defeats are equally shared by all team members. Will be interesting to see how this concept plays out for the Packers and the Steelers this Sunday. I will be rooting for the ________________. How about you?
J
3 comments:
Food for thought June. Back in the '80s, when I worked in patient accounts for Children's, I had a Director whose motto was "None of us is as smart as ALL of us." We all need to trust the enormous knowledge base and experience that is BJC Communications & Marketing.
As far as Sunday, I'm rooting for great advertising, since the Gold & Blue won't be there.
Having grown up 90 minutes south of Green Bay, I was a very happy person on Sunday night!
On the subject of your blog post, some of the questions you posed are addressed in the book, "Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best... and Learn from the Worst" by Dr. Robert Sutton. Sutton really gets at the depths without sugar-coating or providing self-help-book-like advice. I particularly enjoy his references to issues within health care. Also, your topic of blame and righting the ship is discussed in the book.
The book was published in September 2010, so it is relevant to today's workplace.
So, while I am not sure I could provide direct answers to your questions, I think the book may be a helpful read to anyone searching for ideas about the best ways of managing people.
A taste of Sutton's material can be found on his blog: http://bobsutton.typepad.com/
Thanks, guys for sharing. Really wise counsel for all of us to remember. And, will put Dr. Sutton's book on my reading list.
J
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