Michael Erickson <sysengr@atc.boeing.com> finishes his "you cannot
push a rope metaphor" with
>...Being a driver might "ensure" certain behaviors
>are maintained, but being an evangelistic leader puts the power in the
>hands of the doers, and allows the guidance to be where it needs to be,
>without defeating the commitment of the doers.
I am reminded of an assignment I had to fill some seven years ago. The
task involved a complex international requirements process which my
organization had the "opportunity" to fulfil. IMO the best person for the
job worked for me. The executives were under high pressure to commit and
get on with it. I described the opportunity to the person I felt could do
it. I was totally honest, including the benefits to the individual and the
organization as well as the considerable risks to both. Then I left him
alone to make the decision on his terms (and timing). I deflected
aggressive followups from the executives.
He eventually decided that he wanted to take this on (with certain
conditions). I congratulated him for his bravery and then announced the
mission. Many times during the project, others congratulated me on my
choice of him for the job. They had never seen anyone this committed and
capable. I quickly deflected those bouquets to the individual responsible.
The project was a big success. I spent almost no time pushing the rope. On
several instances I helped him tug the rope when he asked. It was my most
dramatic illustration of the power of the principles we are talking about
here. It REALLY works if executed with conviction and honesty!
The project was a success and the product line has now been deployed
successfully worldwide generating huge benefits for both the vendor and
those customers implementing it. FWIW...Keith
--Keith Cowan <72212.51@CompuServe.COM>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>