Do your people perish?

It is hard to conceive of being thirsty when you are surrounded by fresh water. The same applies to many organizations in which the leaders can be so busy that they fail to notice which employees are overworked and which employees don’t have enough to do.

While the leaders continuously attempt to restrict the flow of fresh water, some of their co-workers are trying to find more to drink.

The consequences of this gap are as follows:

• Initiatives that would be beneficial for the staff never get off the ground because the project sponsor cannot find the time to kick-start them.
• The leader could view the staff as too relaxed, while he or she is inundated with work.
• If the leader does not effectively delegate to the staff nor keep them in the loop regarding all ongoing projects, he or she risks losing the employees’ trust.

This can lead to a situation in which some people take on more and more work, while many others become increasingly frustrated by the lack of meaningful work.

How can your organization escape this vicious cycle?

1. Ensure that your staff shares your organizational mission, vision, and core values. Otherwise, instead of working toward the company’s vision, the employees may lose initiative and rely on detailed instructions from their superiors.
2. To become a better leader, ask yourself frequently what you are really busy doing. Many tasks might not add value to the organization or your own career. Other tasks could be delegated so you don’t feel you are swamped with work.
3. Communicate often to your staff about your own projects. Stress the value for them. If you find this difficult, you may not be finding enough value in what you do.

As a leader, provide your people with water in form of meaning, trust, and decision-making authority, or your organization could perish from thirst.

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This post is from our Friday noon memo #108. Interested in regular updates? Sign up here.
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