Weekend of Worry

Discussion Can Salvage Opportunities

Jay, the President of a large, well-known, nation-wide holding company told the Leadership Development Lab (LDL):

"Last Friday afternoon, I spent some time at our tube forging plant. While visiting with our Materials Manager, I learned the details of a proposed commercial transaction between our company and one of our competitors. The requirements being imposed by our competitor were of such an onerous nature that I developed great concern that this transaction would ultimately prove very harmful to our company.

"That afternoon, I only expressed the mildest concern to our Materials Manager, but the issue continued to stir my concerns all through the weekend to the point that Sunday night, I called the General Manager and expressed to him, in far greater detail, the concerns I had, posing to him a couple of alternative measures and suggested we take it up both prior to, and following, our normal Monday morning staff meeting.

"After the staff meeting that Monday, a meeting was convened with myself, the General Manager, the Plant Manager, the Materials Manager and the Quality Assurance Manager. I started the meeting by expressing very clearly my strongest reservations and concerns about this transaction and then turned it over to the rest of the fellows and provided them an opportunity to discuss the issue and come up with their own recommendations. The fellows came up with some really sound ideas, which they have embarked upon with conviction and determination. They are turning a potentially negative situation into one that will no doubt become a positive arrangement for everyone.

"In the past, I would have most likely come in Monday morning and told the Materials Manager to simply terminate the transaction, but since I was willing to listen to the team's ideas, we salvaged the opportunity for our company.

"The lesson I learned from this experience is the importance of listening to the team's ideas and getting the perspective of all members of the team, allowing them to express their views and getting the benefit of their background and experience instead of dictating an action.

"The action I call you to take in your pursuit of becoming an engaging leader is never prejudge the decisions of those you put in a position of authority. Always give them an opportunity to explain their full rationale for the decisions they have made, listen to their points of view, share yours and allow for new decisions to be made. Remember you'll always have veto power, but exercise that veto power with the greatest of discretion.

"The benefit you will gain is an empowered team that will grow, develop and mature. Everyone on your team will be engaged in a continual learning process. You'll find your team makes more and more, better and better, decisions every day. This will allow your company to grow and give you the freedom to go on to bigger and better opportunities."

Please join us for the Salem-area Leadership Development Lab Free Preview Meeting!