One or One Hundred? The Big Decision for Leaders

It is often said that managers need to be leaders.  It is just as important for leaders to be managers too.  And as a manager, each year, each quarter, each week, the leader has a big decision to make:

Should we try to move one (or two) big initiatives forward a mile this period?

OR,

Should we move a big batch of smaller initiatives forward, each one an inch?

Pick one.  The results will be different.

Consider this scenario:  The organization is stuck just a little. The company is not in bad shape but revenue is stagnant.  Stakeholders are not happy. Instead of continuing all of the initiatives that have been put in place like an enhanced system or the new customer service platform or the expanded training program, or the annual sales conference, all of that is put to a stop.  The decision is made that none of that matters because this period we are going to focus on revenue. Revenue is all, revenue is god. Every one should find a way to contribute to revenue. Over the period, revenue makes a big spike. It moved a mile.

Alternatively, the organization is stuck just a little.  The company is not in bad shape but seems a little moribund and stuck in its ways.  Instead of continuing on the existing trajectory, the decision is made to flood the company with new initiatives.  Task forces are formed around change management that include attacking the supply chain, the customer experience, talent management, and other areas.  The projects are numerous enough that a program management office is created and hundreds of small milestones are put in place. At the end of the period, progress is achieved in several dozen discreet areas.  They each moved an inch.

In my experience, it is difficult to do both.  That is, if there is an inspiring focus, other things naturally fall to the wayside.  If there are initiatives going on in every corner of the organization, it is difficult to focus on one thing.  

As a leader/manager, letting the organization know what is happening is key because in either case, “as is” is not the way forward.

I have seen both styles work and generate good results.  Sometimes the personality of the leader is the key indicator of what choice will work.  Either way, the organization has the potential to move forward. Which will it be? “As is” is very rarely a choice.

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Richard is the author of the new book The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters [A Worker’s Manual]. You can follow his writing on Twitter, Facebook, or at his website at richardmoran.com.

Richard is a noted San Francisco based business leader, workplace pundit, bestselling author and venture capitalist.