Interventions

As a team leader, the thing I like about myself the least is I tend to do everything with my own hands. Because I *think* I can do better. Or faster. Or both. And it is really really hard for me to let the team be responsible for a task. Yes, passing the responsibility down to the team and other leaders is probably the hardest thing when growing a company. Because very often it simply does not work. Responsibility is somewhere in the genes. Some have it, some don't. Regardless how hard you work with them and how many times they acknowledge you, they repeat their irresponsible approach over and over. Situations when I'm really both furious and hopeless are when somebody just passes a problem up to me: "I failed. Sorry". Don't. Ever! First, it's great you've realized you failed. But instead of being sorry just do something about it. Fight! In business it is not about absolution. It is about getting things done and learning from mistakes.

But sometimes it is even worse. Some simply don't realize they've failed. They think they work hard and they are good at what they are doing. Not realizing the results they contribute to the organization and messy and far from being on par with the rest. Or even worse - not improving over time. Whenever I find myself in such situation, realizing something is going on well below expectations, I tend to intervene. I engage myself in the task with a shovel in my hands.

This is probably when most executives would not. And probably when the theoretical experts would prefer me to stop and simply demand the problem to be solved. But "demanding the problem to be solved" is not my nature. I would be acting against myself. And even if the management school says it is better (I don't know) I simply prefer being in line with my attitude. Which is actively helping to solve the problem. Which often (too often!) means grabbing the shovel.

But in the end the interventions are not that bad. May be it requires more work from me, but the teams I'm engaged with are mostly successful. My doubts have been dispelled recently when Satya Nadella recalled just this type of situation:

There was this one particular incident in a match where my school captain noticed I was bowling some really ordinary stuff. He took over the next over himself, got our team the much-needed breakthrough and then threw the ball back to me in the next over! I will never forget that. What made him do that? Is this what they call leadership? These are the kind of questions I have since reflected on as I approach many of the things I do today leading teams.

It is really a great reassuring feeling when somebody reconfirms your instincts are correct!