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Guest blog post by Drew Kincius @ beLithe, an Indianapolis based Agile consulting firm. Callibrity and beLithe are partnering to host a 2-day Management 3.0 workshop in Cincinnati November 14th - 15th 2019. Read more about what Management 3.0 is and the principles of leading by letting go.
We’ve all been there.
Dealing with THAT boss at work.
The manager who always seems to want to bring others down.
For them, nothing is good enough. Nothing is ever a good idea.
Unless it comes from them.
Now that I’ve got you rolling your eyes, let me instigate you again: I would actually argue that most of these types of personalities, deep down in their core, are actually not wanting to sabotage workplace culture. I believe that a lot of these people have their hearts in the right place.
And no, it’s not because I’m a manically optimistic person. It’s because I don’t blame them wholeheartedly for their terrible execution as leaders. Why? Because it’s not entirely their fault. They’re asked to thrive in a system that is broken.
What is this broken system, you ask? The “dictatorship role” often given to managers. The result of a raise or promotion that suddenly grants full control to an individual is a top-down approach that spells certain doom: one person telling many what to do without even knowing what’s really going on or how to do the work himself.
Why is this approach so widely accepted? Because individuals crave power. With power comes control, and with control comes predictability and sanity.
But only for the manager. And only for so long.
But for everyone else? It’s just the opposite - prolonged instability.
Deadlines are shortened, the “definition of done” is muddled and always changing, and therefore no one feels like they understand what’s expected and how to deliver “success.”
If I asked you if it would be easier to push a car with five people or just one, you’d be looked at with a crazy side-eye if you said, “one.” And yet, organizations are consistently set up where only a few people have real power. Thus the potential collective impact from countless inspired and hard-working individuals is wasted.
Management 3.0 is a different way of looking at the way organizations structure themselves regarding the allotment of power. It covers the importance of managing the system, not the people. It’s about putting the power of success and failure into the hands of the people, giving them the greatest ownership over the work. I believe this emotional ownership, combined with diversity in thought, is a sure path for breeding innovation and your best solutions.
Management 3.0 manifests itself as a two-day workshop that covers eight core modules, providing the tools for your teams to know how to continuously move forward with confidence. Adding a new member to your organization? Play Delegation Poker and assign tasks and roles. Know of a team member who isn’t fulfilling their promise? Use the Competency Matrix to list out what skills are needed for your projects to be completed and who’s best at meeting those needs so that everyone feels valued and seen.
These tools become rooted in the idea of the team first. And in the end, the leadership at your organization won’t feel the pressure to come up with giant, overarching solutions for your team to tackle your biggest challenges.
Your teams will already know what to do right away and get to it.
You hired these folks for a reason. Let them shine!
We’re bringing Management 3.0 to Cincinnati soon. Join us on November 14th and 15th and discover why giving the keys of your business to your team is not radical or merely idealistic - it’s crucial for breeding the mindset to grow your organization now and into the future.
