"I hire smart people and get out of their way". Lee Iacocca. "Tell people what you need, NOT what to do." Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker said: “Knowledge Workers are people who know more about what they are doing than their boss does.”
Barry Appelman: "Do not keep smart people on a tight leash".
Simon Sinek: "When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders."
Nothing kills creativity and enthusiasm better than a prescription of what to do and how to do it.
The job of a modern leader is to share information, make sure their people have what they need to do their jobs, remove obstacles, and to provide clarity on what is needed, NOT on how to do it.
Gary Vaynerchuk: Also, leaders "need to be able to take the blame once in a while".
That is what is so great about Google - they hire smart people and get out of their way. If any of their leaders quit, it will not make any difference. It is the company "of the people, by the people, for the people."
Surgeries are best performed by surgeons following their own knowledge and experience, rather instructions of their bosses.
This is no different for any other knowledge profession.
Do you agree ?
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Medical Doctor at St Claver hospital
2 年This is very apt...
Retail Leader
2 年Agree completely. What matters most are the results or goals - (and the donts). Once these are clearly defined and there is some guidance, for sure good leaders should get out of the way. I would think this is the same as teaching a child to walk, you let them go! Ofcourse, in the beginning of your leadership journey it maybe challenging (it was for me) to trust others to get the job done, but once you embrace your own imperfections and then everyone else's, it gets easier to allow others to do things their way and learn from their mistakes. Just assure them you got their back and are there to assist when and if needed.
Independent writer and editor
5 年"I hire smart people to lead the not-so-smart people so that the smart people can be trusted to tell the not-so-smart people to just do their jobs. Of course, I remove myself before both groups figure out that I don't really have a job." - anonymous, Harvard Business School.
Senior Project Coordinator at S.C. NASDIS CONSULTING SRL.
6 年Very correct but, unfortunately not enough, or in other words it is a necessity but not sufficient.
Sales driver passionate about investing in people.
7 年Still don't understand why something so simple has to be made so hard for people to understand.