How Do You React To This Scenario?
OK, let’s say you’re leading a team. The project your team is working on is facing some strong headwinds, so to speak, and is struggling to stay on course. Another week brings another announcement that the delivery date has slipped. Regardless of what you think you should do, which of the following are you most likely to do if this scenario was really true?
- Offer your team some incentive money to deliver earlier than the latest announced date.
- Publish performance measurements as a way to spur improved accountability and team performance.
- Turn the heat up by requiring longer work weeks until the team catches up.
- Jump in and take on more of the work yourself.
- Tell your team that you trust them to deliver.
Which card do you most often play when you’re faced with slipping deadlines? Motivation by money? Metrics? Threats? Or maybe just jumping in to get your hands dirty thereby leading by example?
Is it possible that we make difficult situations worse by overmanaging them? Keith Murnighan responds with a resounding “Absolutely!” In the next two episodes I talk with Keith about his new book Do Nothing!: How to Stop Overmanaging and Become a Great Leader, which hits the shelves this week. Keith will tell us how we can, perhaps surprisingly so, be more successful when we Do Nothing!
Make Sure to Listen to The Rest of the Interview
Join us in the next episode when Keith will talk about such heresy as ignoring performance goals and de-emphasizing profits. I trust you’ll find it helpful in your quest to more effectively lead and deliver.
Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Have a great week!
Total Duration 20:51
Be a Better Leader by Doing Nothing|https://traffic.libsyn.com/peopleandprojectspodcast/75-DoNothingWithKeithMurninghan.mp3
Download episode 75
