"Follow the chain of command"
Pexels - Pixabay

"Follow the chain of command"

One of humanity's greatest powers is organizing large groups of people to work together. The technologies and practices that enable this have transformed the world in the last 150 years.

I know it's not cool to use military analogies for business situations. They're not the same.

Nonetheless, anytime you're organizing large groups of people you run into common problems that may benefit from common solutions. Like an org chart. Like clear definition of who makes decisions or controls resources. Like who leads and who follows. Bypass and disrupt these practices only by necessity and by exception.

"Follow the chain of command".

This means:

  • Don't escalate things unless you need to
  • Escalate one level at a time - don't skip levels

Benefit: Doing this will minimize drama, empower your first-level leader, and avoid wasting a more senior-level leader's time.

Objection: "Doesn't this make decision making slower?" Yes, if the front-line manager isn't empowered to make decisions or take action. Effective hierarchies emphasize delegation and empowerment - that is the whole point. Effective leaders push for decisions at the lowest possible level.

Apology: I've not always done this effectively. Sometimes I'm in a rush or don't care and escalate needlessly. I'm sorry.

#leadership #management #organizationaldesign

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Matt Nolan的更多文章

  • "Toxic"

    "Toxic"

    "Toxic" doesn't mean much. Not when it comes to personalities and culture anyway, unlike when it comes to chemistry.

    4 条评论
  • "It's not a math problem"

    "It's not a math problem"

    You've been there..

    1 条评论
  • "Don't change the culture"

    "Don't change the culture"

    Many people like to gripe about organizational culture. I often hear someone say "it's going to be that way until the…

    1 条评论
  • Rizz at work

    Rizz at work

    The biggest part of charisma is confidence. Confidence is not a yes/no, black-or-white thing - it can grow over time.

  • Blame

    Blame

    Don't screw up. Do a good job.

    1 条评论
  • "Wallow in the problem"

    "Wallow in the problem"

    Wallow is a funny word. It sounds funny, it's associated with pigs, it's earthy; I like it.

  • Jokes, predictions, & AI

    Jokes, predictions, & AI

    "Predictions are hard, especially about the future" - Yogi Berra (maybe) "Economists predicted 9 of the last 5…

    1 条评论
  • A Complexity Curve

    A Complexity Curve

    I'm obsessed with this curve. [X axis is "Level of complexity"] I found it on Eli Dourado's substack.

    1 条评论
  • Two Minutes of Hate

    Two Minutes of Hate

    I recently read that the best arguments deserve the best counter-arguments. By pressure-testing something, we find out…

    1 条评论
  • 9 Levels of Project Management

    9 Levels of Project Management

    Level 1 - Communication Organize a recurring meeting with the involved parties to talk about the project. Take & share…

    1 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了