The world is made of somebody’s work
Leadership isn’t an abstract topic, it’s a contact sport.
Contact between what the leader thinks and does, and what those in the team think & do.
Between what you think and what they do…
If you’re not making contact are you leading, or just hoping?
If you’re leading in a physical organization you need to be in contact with what that team makes, or delivers, or does.
Manufacturing, healthcare, construction, logistics, retail, food service, the list is long.
People doing things or making things that other people pay for.
Leaders leading teams of people doing things or making things that other people pay for.
Detailed physical things like welding pipes or stacking shelves or diagnosing illness or cooking food or teaching kids or making widgets.
Leaders of people doing detailed physical things need to understand those detailed physical things.
Somehow.
Not every detail of everything, but enough to lead.
There are no silver bullets in the complex task of operational leadership but there are some games that good leaders play.
Two leadership games are important here.
Seeking Truth and Building Connections.
Truth in any physical organization is important because reality is vital to those making real things.
Leaders need to respect what’s vital to their team.
Engineers build the world by focusing on details, and mostly those details are measurable & real.
The foundations of a high rise building aren’t built by guesswork.
Don’t make things up if you want to earn respect as an operational leader.
Take the time to find out.
Connection is important in leading any activity.
Connection to people doing the actual work is critical in an operational business.
You can imagine how a fast food kitchen works but you’ll never know how until you’ve been in one.
Nor will you ever be able to lead one.
No one can lead a construction team without spending time on-site.
Sales teams can’t be led by people who don’t visit customers.
“..Leaders of people doing detailed physical things need to understand those detailed physical things…”
One thing about people in physical, measurable jobs is they respect reality, because they live in a real world.
If you respect their reality they’ll respect you.
When you don’t pretend to know what you don’t know, but you at least try to connect with it, you’ll be a better leader.
Do you lead a team that makes things , or provides a service?
How much do you know about what they do?
How often do you get close to what they do, or what they make?
Did you do that job once? If so, how has it changed since then?
Are you looking at what they do or remembering what you did?
Ask questions. Spend time. Go see.
The devil is in the detail.
Ask leadership questions not just questions.
How do you do that?
How does that work?
Be deliberately curious. Connection is your job.
What’s your biggest problem?
How can we do things better?
Take time to listen, because respect takes time.
Do you pay attention to details, or are details someone else’s job?
.
.
“I might be wrong, but at least I’ve thought about it…”