Leadership is a tricky business, especially when you are not formally a leader. I have nightmares and daytime fears of trying to encourage people to go a certain direction and having them reply in a rebellious tone. "No, you're not my boss!" I want to demonstrate good behavior which I am fairly good at, but I also want to encourage others to follow good behavior, most particularly when they are not behaving good. I also see different approaches with it. I would not expect similar results between my co-workers and my kids if encouraged in a like manner. My oldest is eight and the pandemonium reigns anytime much leeway is given with regards to them doing their tasks. Likewise, directly enforcing them to complete homework, chores etc. by babysitting them as they do it has been one of the only successful ways to get it done. The most successful way has been to do our tasks together as a family. We would all get together and start at one end of the house and work, everyone doing everything, till the whole house is done. We did this very well and even had it down to where we could clean the whole house, top to bottom in a little more than an hour. I was impressed. However, my schedule does not always allow me to participate, nor do others so it has been really tough keeping it going.
The best option is common to everyone, my kids and coworkers and that is the Oz Principle. It is the subject of several books and it has roots in the gospel. It has a couple of different facets to it and I want to describe them here. First, the concept that in the context of your organization, all the work is everyone's work. Some may have specific assignments that naturally lead them to do specific tasks. In fact most people are hired for those reasons. However, There is nothing that says a billionaire CEO who has time on his hands can't clean his own executive washroom and take out the trash when the custodian is running behind or on vacation. The idea is that if we all pitch in and work as one cohesive unit, with all of us believing that we all working together, can accomplish anything, we succeed.
The first phrase which leads to this is See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it. This works on an individual level as well as the group. It also doesn't work on an individual level as well as a cohesive group. Allow me to explain.
Seeing it is merely the recognizing of the task or tasks at hand. A person or group must be aware of their work and the scope of it. They need to know what it entails and properly prepare and train for it.
Own it is the principle that the individuals in the group each take individual responsibility for the task. I like to describe it as making the task personal. It is no longer distanced by it being a "work' task. Succeeding at this task involves your whole soul and character. You approach it and work at it as you would a final exam in school or a sculptor does a project. That work will be a reflection of you, your work, your commitment and your contribution to the good of the whole. The collective persona of the group must also have just as much of an ownership response to the task and must acknowledge that the "we" factor on the task is vital. If only part of the group is bought in to the plan but the others are looking for the balance of the group to carry them through, they hold back and the result is not as good. It then reflects less successfully and falls from amazing to ordinary.
Solve it is the principal of the plan. It is what takes the energy of the group through to conquering the problem. It is the spiritual creation or execution of the task. This is wholly necessary as just plowing into a task without a plan is like a tornado. Everyone is going based on their own perception. Solve it. turns everyone to go the same direction so that all efforts have efficacy and actually lead to the success. Without it many people, well intentioned actually end up working in conflict, nullifying much of their efforts and frustrating them.
Do it. This is the principle of executing the task for real and is a culmination of the other three. This is where flaws in the plan may manifest themselves and scream for resolution. Commitment to success is vital here because problems will occur and should not derail the plan. If the people are good, committed and the plan is good, then the outcome should be good. This is the principle of stick with it so long as it remains good, making adjustments here and there.
The whole must be bought in to it. For and individual to only be partially bought in, their success or failure is a result of that commitment. Going in half hearted will result in half-baked. Any definite success will be the result of pure luck or disproportionate and unfair intervention by another. The group must be likewise or the same thing will happen.
I must be fully committed to what I do or I won't succeed. The ashes of failed attempts at things in my life lie all around me and I am certain that it has been because I was not fully committed to See it, Own it, Solve it and Do it.
The other aspect I will cover next time. This is called the results pyramid and is largely how different events of the above relate to each other. Experiences lead to beliefs which govern our actions which generate results. Part 3 to come.
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