GIVE THE WORK BACK

Taking people’s problems off your shoulders and giving back allows you, as the leader, to gain authority and credibility

Putting the Work on Your Shoulders...

Facing adaptive pressures for which you cannot deliver solutions

Having to mobilize the work of others rather than knowing the way yourself.

Technical problems may come to light and be resolved, creating short-term relief, but issues will still exist and need to be addressed again.

High risk because taking on the issue may ultimately make you the issue.

Others think in order to get rid of the issue they must get rid of you.

Regardless of the outcome, you will be held responsible for losses and the backlash from those left behind.

Take the Work

Resolve conflict

• Listen to both sides
• Tell them how to resolve issue
• Resurfacing of issue
• Issue becomes the leader's
• May undermined own credibility

PEOPLE expect LEADERS to fix and resolve problems making leaders look courageous and admirable.

Being more courageous is CHALLENGING their EXPECTATIONS of a leader.

Place the Work

Solutions are achieved by people work together

To achieve change, the issues are internalized and resolved

People must resolve the issue rather than the leader

Richard Sanchez

• The business need to update their organizational model
• Talked and listened to people in local markets and businesses
• Solution was for local people develop a plan

Marty

• Recent law school graduate
• Hired to research  
• Work was below expectations 
• Employer returned work for revision
• Employer gave work back instead of making revisions

Mark Willes

• Goal to cut losses, increase profitability, and raise stock prices
• Integrate the news and business to strengthen the organization
• Viewed him as an outsider by changing deep value system
• Profits increased, but when loses incurred, he was blamed
• Within six weeks he lost his job

Make Interventions

There are times we as leaders must intervene. Short and Simple Interventions are more likely to be heard and accepted without causing dangerous resistance.

Observations

• Taking snapshots from the balcony
• Changes Perspective
• Less threatening

Questions

• Means of giving work back to the group
• Use questions because...
• Cannot give interpretation
• People must address the issue themselves
• Stay out of the line of fire

Interpretations

• Follows observations
• Questionable accuracy, but response will tell more
• Provocative and raise the heat

Actions

• All actions have an immediate effect
• Sends a message
• Susceptible to more than one interpretation
• Actions draw attention
• The message and context must be clear

Staying alive

Avoid becoming the target

Give back the work

Clear Interventions