One thing most leaders can agree on is that organizations need rules; how else can fairness and consistency be ensured across the organization? But when rules devolve they can inhibit efficiency, effectiveness, sanity, well-being, and more.
Even if you think your team SHOULD know the why behind your what, it’s worth quick check to be sure they really understand. Doing work without knowing why, is the shortest path to disengagement.
It can be lonely at the top. When we are in a position of leadership, we can find it difficult to share our struggles. If we share our challenges with those that report to us, it can seem like a weakness in our leadership ability.
Did you know that anyone who enlists in the US military the first time incurs an eight-year service commitment? A recruit might sign a two- or four-year active duty contract; after their active duty period ends, they engage in active or inactive reserve duty for the remainder of that 8-year commitment, whether having been drafted or having volunteered into service.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a team meeting where the manager was giving feedback to his team of 30 millennials who worked for him in a local catering business. I remember some of my supervisors in the past saying the same type of things to me. His statements brought back a flood of memories and reminded me how ineffective such statements can be.