Many managers and would-be leaders seem to imagine that their job is to bark orders at their subordinates. They must have watched too many bad detective dramas and bad war movies.
Reality is quite different. Reading through Churchill’s correspondence it’s evident that he more often asked questions than gave direct orders.
In one well known example, on a visit to an RAF base, Churchill saw that bomb craters in the landing field hadn’t been filled in hours after the bombers had left.
We have all known people who, imagining themselves in Churchill’s position, would have ordered some high-ranking RAF officer to get bomb craters filled in, as if all down the chain of command people would bark orders at their subordinates to fill in the bomb craters, until some flunky at a some RAF base somewhere would suddenly slap himself on the forehead and cry “Blimey! Why didn’t I think of that? Let me go fill in that bomb crater in the middle of the landing field. That’s an amazing idea! If I fill in that bomb crater airplanes can start flying out of here again, and we can kill more nazis, and save the world. Our leader is a genius. Fill in the bomb craters! That’s a bloody good idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”
The idea that the job of a manager is to micromanage subordinates is surprisingly common. I consider it a really bad sign when I see managers barking orders without considering that the subordinates may have already established reasonable priorities and are acting on those.
On the other hand, it’s easy to imagine Churchill dictating a note that reads something like this:
“On a visit today to Croyden aerodrome I found that there were still bomb craters in the landing field hours after the huns had been driven off. What measures are being taken to insure that bomb craters and other impairments to normal operations are quickly rectified? What additional resources, if any, are required?”
Instead of assuming people are idiots, Churchill’s approach assumes that most people can and will see, think, and act on their own initiative. Perhaps they don’t have the right equipment. Perhaps there was significant damage or a large number of deaths or injuries elsewhere at the station that seemed a higher priority than filling in bomb craters, which will be attended to as other priorities are mastered.
Don’t assume you have all the answers. Ask questions.
More Leadership Lessons from Winston Churchill:
Listen.
Ask questions.
Give clear directions.
Don’t get angry at challenges to your ideas. Learn from them.
In most cases, it isn’t the person, it’s the process.
Learn to think in terms of a system.
Go and see for yourself.
Measure a lot of things, and have something to compare them to.
Have courage. Tell the truth, and expect others to do the same.
Great oratory is built on great arguments. Master your facts and your arguments first.
Copyright 2015, 2018 by Paul G. Spring. All rights reserved.