Do you let your team fail?

 

In business, we don't always have the luxury of allowing our teams to fail. As leaders, we are strict about standards. We monitor the progress of our teams closely. We do all we can to support them and ensure they get the job done. We check every detail and issue clear directions. We don't want our teams to fail because it means we have failed as their leader. In a training environment, our learners can afford to fail. It may seem counterintuitive that as a trainer I let my learners fail. Wouldn't that leave a bad taste? I find that lessons learnt from failure can be much more impactful and memorable. In real business, we should find opportunities for our people. Not to want them to fail, but to want them to be creative, to make decisions, and to take ownership of their outcomes. Sometimes they will fail. But they will also learn and grow.

Tune in to Wii FM

 

I attended a BNI training on Saturday. I conduct training for a living, but it is always interesting for me to attend training conducted by others. I am always able to gain something from training sessions I attend. This is something I have learned to do. It is not automatic. I have learned to tune in to Wii FM. Wii FM means What's In It For Me. No matter what situation you are in, if you are smart about it, if you are proactive and take action, you will gain something or learn something. You will be able to find value. Not everyone interprets Wii FM the same way. Some expect others to serve results to them on a platter. They think, okay I've paid the fee, or I'm spending time with you, so show me what's in it for me. Show me the money. Serve me. This doesn't always work. I once attended an event with an intention to sell my products. On the day itself, I realised the attendees were not the type who would buy. They would try, but they were not willing to spend. I might have got upset and sworn never to attend such events again, but instead I took the opportunity to understand this particular target market. I also learned by observing how they responded to my products. I didn't walk away with sales, but I gained valuable insights. Seek, and you shall find.

Do you braid your hair?

 

I participated in a Tzu Chi (慈济) event over the weekend. Tzu Chi is a non profit organisation which does humanitarian and disaster relief work. I was invited to the event to introduce modern boardgames to parents and children. One thing I learned at the event was girls with long hair must braid their hair. At first I thought this was odd. This rule felt old-fashioned, rigid and unnecessarily ceremonial. Why in this day and age still insist on a rule like this? However as I observed how they conducted themselves and how they worked together, I was reminded of this: "How you do one thing, is how you do everything." As leaders, we sometimes consider certain small things to be beneath us. We have more important things to attend to. Some things need not be fussed over. However, small habits that we build every day shape who we are. Small habits practised by an organisation shape its culture. If we can't do the small things well, who will trust us to do the big things? So, what is your equivalent of braiding your hair that you practise every day?

Case study: The boss' pet

 A mentee once asked me for advice. He had a teammate, A, whom he found was not pulling her weight at work. They were both managers reporting to the same department head, B. A couldn't complete tasks which she should be able to, and often asked others to do them. B seemed to be overly protective and accommodating. When my mentee broached the subject with B, he was told that A was having some personal issues outside of work. So everyone should be understanding and support her. My mentee felt that this was a recurring pattern. It was not just a temporary situation. He had heard other peers and juniors being unhappy about A. He certainly was not happy that he needed to do extra work to cover for A. Due to the growing tension, A who used to be close with the team was drifting further apart and becoming isolated.

If you were in my shoes, what would you say to my mentee?