“I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can be very often traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people.”
— Thomas J. Watson, Jr. A Business and its Beliefs (1963)
I learned a key lesson from one of my first management positions. I was a delivery supervisor at UPS and had just a few precious moments with my team in the morning before dispatch and a few more when they returned to the center after completing their routes. The bulk of the day the drivers had to make their own decisions and monitor their own work. It was physically impossible to be on the package cars and directly supervise them. You had to trust them. It worked just fine.
I suppose it is that experience that causes me to bristle so much when my clients turn to control and direct supervision in these tough times. Decision making has become more centralized and generally top down. The culture becomes one of compliance. Employees respond by following directives hoping not to make a mistake that makes than an exception, inviting closer supervision. The organization loses its excitement, its zeal, and instead encourages an almost robotic approach to doing a job rather than practicing a profession. Most top talent starts looking for other organizations that value their talent and skills. Compliant organizations are left with compliant employees, those that can’t leave because they don’t have value other employers want.
The best organizations are talent centric. They hire the best talent and pay them well. They invest in their talent by providing development opportunities and continuing education. They decentralize decision making and let their people use the skills they hired them for. They grow their own leaders rather than having to go outside. (A key indicator I look for in organizations is how often they have to turn to the outside for middle to executive level management positions.) They trust their people. They reward good work, and approach performance problems with a problem solving rather than blaming mindset. They understand that if they want to attract the best and the brightest they must provide an opportunity for the best and the brightest to practice their craft.
If you are managing your people just like any other purchased asset, rather than leading them as respected team members, you may be setting up your company for further tough times. Thomas Watson pointed this out forty-seven years ago as he was building his office machine manufacturing business. He did pretty well with his talent centric approach.
