Hack:
Leaders change your habits : try to become less and less essential !!!

By Alexis Nicolas - Manager at BNP Paribas Arbitrage

October 25, 2010 at 9:38am

Moonshots

Focus the work of management on a higher purpose

Summary

Taking responsibilities makes everyone feel important. This feeling naturally drives leaders to make things converge towards them.

Leaders and managers must focus on expanding their involvement by looking up instead of down. They have to become less and less essential for their direct teams.

Problem

Being essential is great for individuals ego, but it is motionless for organizations.

Solution

Target to become less and less essential. Help your employees to grow and to take decision by their own.

Train them to PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) methodology which will enable "try and adjust" behaviors.

Do not answer to all questions, ask questions to help employees find solutions by themselves.

Months after months focus your energy on higher purpose, "look up" instead of down. Meet your N+1, meet your clients, stay informed on the world and the news, train yourself on new ways of thinking, new ways of managing, take some rest and find yourself more and more, it is a never ending journey. Once you won't be essential anymore, something will happen (reorganization, new opportunity).

Practical Impact

This behavior is a win-win game :

- Personal growth

- Organization growth

It helps employees to evolve.

It avoids information loss when you leave the job.

It free up some time to keep you in the game.

It decreases stress and pressure letting people learning by themselves.

First Steps

Do not be on the fire line : step back for one week (holidays, blackberry off, etc...)

Then identify the employees who are taking responsibilities, make them grow and try it again and again.

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October 26, 2010 at 10:42am

Jeff Johnson

I agree with your general idea, with a twist.
If you have an indispensable employee – manager or otherwise – you have a mandate to take one of two actions:
1.Fire him or her: As you note, organizations place too much reliance on indispensable people. Allowing them to remain in the organization not only represses the development and skills of those around them, but puts the organization at risk (of non-productivity when they leave) and inability to develop those under him/her to do great things
2.Reassign: If the person really is a star, reassign them so they can develop other skills and/or apply their talents elsewhere in the organization.

Either way, the more indispensable an employee is, the more management has a mandate to take action.

October 26, 2010 at 11:29am

Alexis Nicolas

Thanks Jeff for your comment.

I agree with your proposition to take action if indispensable employees are discovered !

And before applying those rules to his, or her, employees, leaders should apply it to themselves !

Thanks again

October 25, 2010 at 7:44pm

Alberto Blanco

Hey Alexis! I totally agree with you when you say that the biggest challenge is fight against our ego. You've hit the spot!

I've wrote a hack that address that challenge too and I believe that could complement your vision. Here's an excerpt:

"Hence, you, as a leader of the future, will be more like a humble guy than a hero. You will have to sacrifice yourself in order to let others success. You will have to detach yourself from your personal possessions, including your actual job position, your hierarchic power, and in general terms, you will lose your status quo.
That is the challenging truth that you will face in short. So, it would be better if you prepare yourself through a deep and personal reflection process, and a systematic detachment of your ego.”

I kindly invite you to read it at full, and maybe we can exchange some ideas or work together to change leaders habits. Here’s the link to my hack:

http://www.managementexchange.com/hack/%22think-outside-spotlight%22-lea...

Best regards,
Alberto