“Don’t tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with the results.” – Phil Knight, Nike founder, in his book Shoe Dog.
Leaders often struggle with this challenge. They get promoted based on how they do things. But the more responsibility leaders take on, the more leadership becomes about the people on the team, the ones you trust and delegate responsibilities to.
Effective leaders learn to focus on the “what.” What is important? How well do the team members understand their roles, and what must each of them accomplish?
The best, most competent people have their own ideas about “how” to do things. They like having a say in schedules and methods. They value the freedom to create. When you allow them to shape the “how,” they leave their unique fingerprints on projects. This is how they develop their craft.
Phil Knight is right. Effective leaders are surprised daily by their teams’ creative abilities when they step away from the “how” and focus on the “what.”
-Howe Q. Wallace Jr
𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞
If you ever watched the classic movie The Godfather, you might remember this quote: “If your car could take me to the airport, Mr. Corleone is a man who ins...
𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗕𝗬 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘
“Define yourself by what you love.” – Tim Minchin
I recently watched a commencement address by Australian comedian Tim Minchin at the University of Western Australia, where he shared nine unc...
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 𝗙𝗗𝗥'𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣
Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio when he was in his late 30s. He lost the use of his legs overnight, never to regain it.
Read more below.
𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣: 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦
I listened to a discussion on the importance of high-character leadership to a company’s success and learned some interesting insights. Read more below.
#Leadership #...
