A first tendency of many business people is to fix things. After all, they’re paid to solve problems, so the metaphor of the mechanic seems natural.
Unfortunately, some leaders then try to “fix” people.
How many of us want to be fixed? Not many. We may be open to persuasion or influence, but we don’t want to be “fixed.”
Rather than adopt the role of mechanic, great leaders adopt the role of gardener.
What does a gardener do?
A gardener creates an environment that encourages growth. An environment full of light and nourishment. An environment with sufficient space for stretching and expanding.
Leadership—and gardening –are all about creating positive change.
Great leaders—and great gardeners –resist the temptation to micromanage. They know that flowers cannot grow if you keep jerking them out of the ground to check the roots.
Great leaders don’t get hung up on position or titles. Like British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said: “Being a leader is like being a lady. If you have to remind people you are, you aren’t.”
Great leaders invest their energy in creating devotion to a worthy cause. They are more interested in getting a job done than in who gets the credit.
Let me illustrate: I worked with a CEO of an organization that had lost $156 million the previous year. He was brought in from the outside to turn the company around.
On his third day on the job he went out into the employee parking lot behind the headquarters building. There was a row of “privileged” parking spots closest to the building. In front of each parking space was a sign with the name of a senior executive. The CEO took a can of spray paint and sprayed over each name. He knew that many employees were looking out their office windows, likely wondering what the CEO was up to.
After spray-painting over all the signs, the CEO went inside and got on the building intercom. He said he felt like the high school principal making morning announcements.
He began with something like this:
“Some of you saw me spray over the names of our executives in the parking lot. You may be wondering, ‘Is he firing the executives?’ No, I’m not firing the executives. We need ‘em. We need everybody. We’re all in this boat together and we need to row together. Last year this company lost $156 million. We can do better. We must do better.
“Beginning today we’re going to break down all these artificial barriers … we’re going to be less concerned about what title you have and what parking place you have. Beginning tomorrow, if you get here late and it’s raining, you’ll get wet. If you get to work early, you can park anywhere you want. All that matters is what will each of us do to make our team stronger and build our business.” Then he said: “Thanks a lot. Have a great day.”
This CEO was demonstrating what it means to be a gardener and not a mechanic.
He did dozens of things like that. The cumulative effect was that he created an environment where his people felt involved and obligated regarding the needs of each other and the needs of the organization.
He helped his people see themselves in a fresh light. He helped them see each other in a fresh light. He helped them see their marketplace potential in a fresh light.
Rather than smother his people with constraining rules and policies, he gave them elbowroom to try new things and experiment in new directions.
Rather than cut his people down for past poor performance, this great leader chose to lift them up toward future great performance.
He created an atmosphere that had absolutely no tolerance for blaming or any kind of “victim-talk.”
He created an environment full of encouragement, collaboration, and personal accountability.
So what was the result? In only 12 months that company harvested a $207 million improvement in profits. It’s now a case study at the Harvard Business School.
Now, was this guy some sort of flower child? Did he sing “Kumbya” and other camp songs in the employee cafeteria?
No. He’s actually one of the toughest-minded business people I’ve ever known. And he’s one of the most effective leaders I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.
Great leaders know that you can rent a person’s back and hands. But you must earn a person’s head and heart.
Great leaders know that organizations are living organisms with many interrelated elements, capable of extinction or growth.
Great leaders invest energy in growing rather than fixing.
They are gardeners. They create a nurturing environment—or culture—and they cultivate with care.
Be a gardener, not a mechanic. Don’t try to “fix” people. Create an environment that affirms and encourages people. An environment that places a premium on solving problems and getting results. An environment where blame is weeded out and people feel free to stretch and grow and produce.
Is this just warm and fuzzy, touchy-feely stuff for “soft” people? Not at all.
It’s the key to the hard realities of high performance in a tough and fast-moving world.
Believe it. Practice it. It makes all the difference.
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