#MiPDV – Lead, Don’t Inspect

In one job assignment, I moved into a headquarters role to lead the growth of a significant and growing business. The predecessor had been very successful in starting the business line, and decided it was time to retire.?

Needless to say, I had some very big shoes to fill.?

Once named into the position, I met each person on the team via phone. We spoke often as a team, and I frequently emailed or spoke with each team member individually. But you don’t really know someone when the relationship is solely via phone and email … so in order to really know them and their business, I crisscrossed the globe to meet all team members in person.?

These were powerful meetings – these team members openly shared what they were reluctant to share by phone, and it afforded them the opportunity to be clearer than they could in an email. For many, it had been a long time since they were visited, and they welcomed the personal attention. ?

One of the last of these introductory meetings really stands out. It was with one of the US-based team members.?

We were having a cordial meeting, then he asked, “Can I ask you a favor?”?

“Of course,” I replied.?

“If all you’re going to do is look over my shoulder and tell me what I do wrong, please let me know now so I can tell you to go away. I need someone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and to work and help, not someone who’s an inspector.”?

How would you react to this comment??

Personally, I welcomed the honesty. It showed that he was beginning to trust me.?

He was expressing what many of us in the company felt. In prior job assignments, I had to deal with people from headquarters who were less than helpful, so I completely understood his perspective (we all know the joke, “I’m here from headquarters and I’m here to help!”). ?

His question and comment were a stark reminder that leadership is hard work – it is not about issuing orders or finding fault. It is about collaboration, development, and help.?

I responded that I had just come from the field, so I knew exactly what he meant. And that no, I didn’t want to look over his shoulder to tell him what he did wrong – first, no one wants to be under the microscope all the time, and second, that’s just not how I work.?

At the same time, I continued, we need to collaborate – the reason we had a worldwide team is that it was a worldwide offering, and our multinational customers needed and deserved the same experience in every country.?

Further, the US was our largest market, and I needed his help to learn what could be used in other countries to grow the business and to make customers happy.?

We ended the day with a solid relationship built on the trust that we each needed the other to be successful in our respective roles.?

I worked with this team member for several years. He was the source of lots of advice and counsel, and he was never afraid to challenge our thinking.?

And he never let me forget that I was not there to inspect.?

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That’s mi punto de vista #MiPDV.