Leadership Shift #4: Eyes On, Hands Off
Employees who are empowered to make fast decisions independently will drive our success. They have internalized the shared purpose of our organization. When faced with a just-in-time decision, they ask themselves: will this help us achieve our purpose? Success as a leader is measured by how the ship runs when you aren’t there.
From?THEN?employees waiting for directions from the boss to?NOW?employees proactively making smart decisions.
From?THEN?micromanagement to?NOW?empowered execution at the front line.
“Open Fire!”
I took aim at the target dummy’s head with my handgun, took a shot, took aim and was just about to pull the trigger again when the instructor yelled “Cease Fire, cease fire!” I immediately dropped the gun and glanced sideways at my teammates lined up next to me. The ten of us stood three feet apart. By now, all my team members had their guns pointed to the ground. The instructor approached from behind and ordered my Warrant Officer (WO) who was standing next to me with a stern voice to unload his gun immediately and step back. I immediately knew what this meant and was not looking forward to what was about to follow.
After finishing the drill – we were in the midst of our training in preparation for deployment as peacekeepers to the Balkans –, the shooting instructor gave me the download. My hyper-nervous and highly-anxious WO had made yet another mistake: This time a potentially highly dangerous one by accidentally pointing his loaded gun with his finger at the trigger at the teammate next to him as he was manipulating his weapon:?One wrong move and he could have shot our teammate in the neck.
This latest incident came after I had put the WO on probation for a variety of other performance challenges. He was now on a performance improvement plan with simple clear targets he needed to reach.
By the time we drove back to the barracks, I had made up my mind. I had consulted extensively with my team leaders over the previous weeks and their words still rang in my ear: “We don’t think he is fit for deployment”. It was now clear to me that he simply did not have what it took to be part of the team, let alone fulfill the key position as a WO.
My team and I had given him plenty of extra practice and training and my team leaders were getting exhausted from all the extra effort they had put into him. Even though I was dreading deploying with the key WO position not filled, I knew it was better to have a vacancy than the wrong person in the wrong seat. He needed to go, and fast!
Nobody likes to fire people and most of us dread having the tough conversation. I am no exception. What made firing my WO even harder was that he was incredibly motivated, worked hard and was a very kind person. When I asked him to meet with me later that day, he knew what was coming.?
The questions that informed my decision were:
The underlying theme with these questions was: Can I lead him with my Eyes On, Hands Off??Can I make myself obsolete, can I work myself out of a job with my WO in charge? And the answer was a clearly a resounding ‘No’!
The ultimate test of leadership is how the ship runs when you are not there. Your job as a leader is to work yourself out of a job, to make yourself obsolete!
The world of work is evolving, and HR is providing critical leadership in this evolution.
I was grateful to introduce my?THEN?to?NOW?Leadership Shifts to HR leaders at the?2022 Lake Washington Human Resource Association (LWHRA) Symposium this week!
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Last Week of Summer on Kauai With My Boy
Aloha!
What better way to renew, refresh, and rejuvenate before the school year than a father-son trip to Kauai?! My son Liam and I had a grand time enjoying the north end of Kauai at Hanalei Bay. We surfed (well tried to), boogie boarded and I did plenty of my favorite workouts: soft sand running. Take that for working your a** and not getting anywhere??.?We returned refreshed and ready for the school year.?While my boys will hit the books, I am prepping for a year as President of the PTA (aka Family Association) at the Bush School in Seattle.
Watch Urs Explain Eyes On, Hands Off