I had the opportunity to see Disney’s Newsie’s this weekend, if you haven’t seen it – go rent, watch! It was amazing!!
The whole story is about a rag tag bunch of kids who sell newspapers (or papes) in New York. When the boss raises the rates of papers the kids come together to try to create a union and strike.
Growing up in Flint Michigan I know the power a union can hold both positive and negative. There was one quote that struck me especially after we talked about micromanaging before.
Catherine Plummer says “Being the boss doesn’t mean you have all the right answers, just the brain to recognize the right one when you hear it”
OK Read that out loud! (Who cares whose lisenting!!)
Do you hear it, you, the boss don’t have to have all the answers! WHAT? You are the boss you should have all the answers right? WRONG!
You just have to know the right one when you hear it! Even more importantly is to help your team feel safe to provide the answers. If you spend time asking for answers then shoot each down when you hear it, you aren’t leading you are being a bully!
Your team needs to process through the options and then they can provide the answers. Next time there is something that needs solving ask your team for input and instead of judging each answer think about how it could work. What could be modified to make it work?
Of course your team is going to be missing details that you may have and of course giving everyone a raise isn’t always the answer, but maybe there is something in that answer that could make change within the organization.
Good luck and Happy Leading
Leadership Simplified 