Have you ever worked your hardest and smartest, only to fall short in the end?
You hadn’t procrastinated—you had time to get it done—but something popped up as the roadblock of all roadblocks, or something was tossed at you that is the most important thing ever that needed your attention NOW—and wham! You’re going to miss a deadline.
Now, if you’re working for a leader who is trying to catch you doing something wrong, or you’re working in a gaggle of people that is waiting for you to fail to make them look better, you know you’re in trouble.
So, you may think, “Do I confess at the beginning of the meeting and get it over with?” Or, perhaps, you realize that if you keep your head down and don’t say anything, there’s a chance someone else will blabber on and on about whatever they’ve completed this week, and it will eat up all the time available. Hmmm, that way, you won’t have to show your weakness, and maybe nobody will notice. Yeah, that’s it! “I’ll try to fly under the radar,” you think.
Have you caught yourself realizing that you’ve had weeks like this, jobs like this, and worked in organizations like this? What’s wrong with this approach to strategizing how to survive, anyway? Shouldn’t we protect ourselves?
What’s wrong? Almost everything!
First, it does not have to be this way. In fact, for the 275,000 organizations running on EOS® around the globe, it is decidedly not how it works. For organizations running on EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, we know these two things are true:
Issues will arise, and we should predict and identify them
Being vulnerable allows our teams to learn from each other, help each other, and care about each other
“Whaaatt?!” you say. “Those organizations are ‘soft’ and will never get the most out of their people.”
Au contraire! Those organizations running on EOS are strong and resilient, follow their shared vision, have discipline and accountability, and reap the benefits of increased team health. There are plenty of testimonials and other real-world examples that show that being able to be vulnerable with those around you is a strength—and takes real courage—and gains real rewards.
Second, leaders should try to catch their team doing things right so they can affirm the best process or practice that achieves the desired outcomes. Now, are they silent if they see a team member doing something wrong? Heck no! They care about their team enough to give them the gift of criticism – privately, immediately, and matter-of-factly. That feed-forward allows the team member to be clear about how and why it should be done to best achieve the expected results. There are no “secret squirrel” best practices that are held back until the ring is kissed, with only those “favored few” receiving input and insights. Leaders both lead and manage, providing direction, setting expectations, and communicating.
Third, organizations running on EOS work hard and smart to Identify and Solve. One of my mantras is that our work “is not a blame and shame show; we’re here to identify and solve” the Issues as needed. While it’s known we are focused on ensuring our team members are accountable and clear about what we need from them, we are also there to help them complete their accountabilities in the most efficient and effective way. There are usually a handful of processes that need to be followed, and everyone should know where they live and how to use them. When an Issue arises for which we don’t have a process to guide the way, we use the issues-solving track, what we call “IDS®.”
IDS helps us remember first to Identify the root(s) of the issue/opportunity we are solving, then we Discuss, and only then do we find the right Solution(s) to solve the issue. And where is the time typically spent most of the time with teams solving issues? Talking all about it – why the sun was in our eyes, why our shoes were untied, blah, blah, blah. How does that help us be our best? It doesn’t.
So next time you’re feeling compelled to deliver all the reasons why not, how about asking for some help to IDS your Issue to determine how you can be successful? Remember: it’s not a “shame and blame show; it’s about Identifying and Solving our Issues.” Together.
