It's likely, at some point time along your leadership-management journey, you've heard this wise quote from Heraclitus, a Greek Philosopher (c. 535 BC - 475 BC) "You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you."
And, if Heraclitus were your management mentor today, his straightforward message would be "Shift Happens!" His insight is true, more so than ever, as you lead and manage your staff. On a day to day basis, you're dealing with shift. The decisions you make, the issues you encounter happen quickly. Often in less than an hour, sometimes in minutes!
This decision-issue relationship is at the heart of your management excellence. Issues are the circumstances from which you make the bulk of your day to day managing/leading decisions. And likewise, your decisions ignite new issues. Like picking up a stick, where you have to pick up both ends to do so, you cannot deal an issue without making a decision and you cannot make a decision without dealing with an issue.
Issues range from singular and specific to overlapping and complex. This range is highlighted by how you frame the issue and the experience from which you draw to make your decision. There are two broad types of issues. First are problems and their associated concerns. That is, something is not working and is hindering the work. Resolution inquiry is needed to solve these issues. For example ... you face budget cuts for the upcoming year or you arrive at work to find broken machinery meant to feed materials onto the assembly line. Both of these problem issues require your attention and solutions.
The second category is appreciations surrounded by enjoyment. That is, something is working well and is assisting the work. Appreciative questions are used to expand this category of issue. Two examples follow. You have three janitorial staff that created a time saving approach to clean walls in one of three plants you manage. Now, you see the importance in expanding their approach to the other two plants. A personal assistance in one branch downloaded meeting software found helpful to four of seven managers reporting to you. Now, you see the value in using the software with the other three managers.
However, there is a catch in the decisions you make from the issues you experience. Implementing an appreciation may incur a problem. While the use of meeting software worked with two managers. Implementing it with two of the other five managers did not work. You found instead, a paper version, with data inserted later, worked best. Conversely, implementing a problem may incur an appreciation. Fortunately, new preventive maintenance procedures helpful to the whole plant were found after fixing the assembly line machinery. Next steps are prepping the new procedures, writing job aids and training the staff.
It becomes apparent from these issue examples yesterday's decisions are different than tomorrow's decisions. Each day when you arrive at work is like stepping into the river anew.
When your past decisions are experienced today, you draw from the best practices you've identified. A caution however! While useful, practices were best then, not now. Though, there are aspects of the best practices useful for tomorrow. You'll find those pearls through evidence and dialogue with others.
For your present decisions to be useful tomorrow, make use of the creative process. It means a measure of generalization and acceptance of possibility are woven into your decision making. You seek 'produce over perfection' with the organization and 'perform over perfection' as an individual. Even with disappointment, insightful learning occurs. Such learning fuels your creative approach and transports the best of yesterday's practices forward.
Whether the issue is a problem or an appreciation, accomplishing the preferred outcome is a balance of lack of complaint, flexibility and discretion experienced through simplicity, wit and promise. The lack of complaint, flexibility and discretion helps you meet the organizational level irritations and biased agendas of others. The simplicity, wit and promise helps you engage from where you are, with what you know and do to advance performance, boost productivity and decrease waste.
For every decision you make know "Change surrounds every Challenge. Remain alert to how you deal with issues and make decisions. Keep in mind your decisions/issues often swivel together at the same time. Use your creative approach and draw sensibly from your best practices. Leverage what matters. That is, managing, networking, flexing, delegating, collaborating, communicating, and leading matter! All of them, and more, express your management excellence.
And, if Heraclitus were your management mentor today, his straightforward message would be "Shift Happens!" His insight is true, more so than ever, as you lead and manage your staff. On a day to day basis, you're dealing with shift. The decisions you make, the issues you encounter happen quickly. Often in less than an hour, sometimes in minutes!
This decision-issue relationship is at the heart of your management excellence. Issues are the circumstances from which you make the bulk of your day to day managing/leading decisions. And likewise, your decisions ignite new issues. Like picking up a stick, where you have to pick up both ends to do so, you cannot deal an issue without making a decision and you cannot make a decision without dealing with an issue.
Issues range from singular and specific to overlapping and complex. This range is highlighted by how you frame the issue and the experience from which you draw to make your decision. There are two broad types of issues. First are problems and their associated concerns. That is, something is not working and is hindering the work. Resolution inquiry is needed to solve these issues. For example ... you face budget cuts for the upcoming year or you arrive at work to find broken machinery meant to feed materials onto the assembly line. Both of these problem issues require your attention and solutions.
The second category is appreciations surrounded by enjoyment. That is, something is working well and is assisting the work. Appreciative questions are used to expand this category of issue. Two examples follow. You have three janitorial staff that created a time saving approach to clean walls in one of three plants you manage. Now, you see the importance in expanding their approach to the other two plants. A personal assistance in one branch downloaded meeting software found helpful to four of seven managers reporting to you. Now, you see the value in using the software with the other three managers.
However, there is a catch in the decisions you make from the issues you experience. Implementing an appreciation may incur a problem. While the use of meeting software worked with two managers. Implementing it with two of the other five managers did not work. You found instead, a paper version, with data inserted later, worked best. Conversely, implementing a problem may incur an appreciation. Fortunately, new preventive maintenance procedures helpful to the whole plant were found after fixing the assembly line machinery. Next steps are prepping the new procedures, writing job aids and training the staff.
It becomes apparent from these issue examples yesterday's decisions are different than tomorrow's decisions. Each day when you arrive at work is like stepping into the river anew.
When your past decisions are experienced today, you draw from the best practices you've identified. A caution however! While useful, practices were best then, not now. Though, there are aspects of the best practices useful for tomorrow. You'll find those pearls through evidence and dialogue with others.
For your present decisions to be useful tomorrow, make use of the creative process. It means a measure of generalization and acceptance of possibility are woven into your decision making. You seek 'produce over perfection' with the organization and 'perform over perfection' as an individual. Even with disappointment, insightful learning occurs. Such learning fuels your creative approach and transports the best of yesterday's practices forward.
Whether the issue is a problem or an appreciation, accomplishing the preferred outcome is a balance of lack of complaint, flexibility and discretion experienced through simplicity, wit and promise. The lack of complaint, flexibility and discretion helps you meet the organizational level irritations and biased agendas of others. The simplicity, wit and promise helps you engage from where you are, with what you know and do to advance performance, boost productivity and decrease waste.
For every decision you make know "Change surrounds every Challenge. Remain alert to how you deal with issues and make decisions. Keep in mind your decisions/issues often swivel together at the same time. Use your creative approach and draw sensibly from your best practices. Leverage what matters. That is, managing, networking, flexing, delegating, collaborating, communicating, and leading matter! All of them, and more, express your management excellence.
About the Author:
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