Stop Telling People How to Do Things!

Orginally published on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 7:22 AM
by Todd Rhoades

I believe it was General George Patton who said, “Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” If you think about his words, there really is a huge difference between telling people HOW to do things and telling people WHAT to do. One prescribes the process while the other prescribes the end result. As church leaders, we must recognize that everyone is not just like us, (and that, in most instances, is a great thing!) The way that we work (the process by which we achieve tasks) differs from how others on our staff might w ork. That’s why it’s important that we allow each person the latitude to do his or her work in their own way; realizing in the end, that their way may, in fact, may achieve a better outcome than we ourselves could have thought of.I love how General Patton put it: “Let them surprise you with the results.” When we allow people to choose the path they take to achieve the desired task, the end result many times ends up being better than we had even imagined. Allowing (and actually encouraging) creativity and innovation with your staff will allow them to flourish and dream and succeed.

Not all staff members may flourish under this ‘tell them the what, now the how’ strategy.  In fact, some people actually NEED to be told the how.  But for the competent and sharp leader, letting them figure out the ‘how’ is a major part of the task.  And it is in the figuring out the ‘how’ that great ideas and results are achieved.

So, here’s your challenge for this week:  Stop telling the people under your command HOW to do things.  Instead, tell them what you’d like done.  You just might be surprised at the results!

Have a great week!

Todd

This post has been viewed 490 times so far.



  There are 2 Comments:

I'm a chronic workaholic, love to connect leaders with other leaders, and would consider myself somewhat of a 'maven'. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you'll like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step.

MondayMorningInsight.com | PO Box 446 | Bryan, OH 43506 |