“Come with a recommended solution and tell me how you propose to implement it,” is what I always tell my team members when I describe my ‘open-door’ policy and culture of collaboration in the workplace.
Barack Obama’s advice to young people starting their careers, “Learn how to get stuff done…whatever is assigned to you, you are just nailing,” is spot on.
I’ve encountered many young professionals who are skilled at giving eloquent assessments of business issues and brilliant analyses of what should be done, but lack the willingness to figure out how to mobilize available resources or find them to address the issue.
It’s easy for leaders to be overly impressed by the intellectual intelligence of bright, young people they hire. Challenging team members to find ways to successfully deliver results is the best way to empower them to take charge of their professional success and actively contribute to the organization’s success.
If there is one major mistake that I made earlier in my career as a manager and team leader, it was being impressed by the qualifications and intelligence of well-educated team members while overlooking their poor people skills and unwillingness to listen and learn from others.
I have learned over time that soft skills such as interpersonal relationships, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and courage are important factors in hiring decisions. Leaders are better off hiring for attitude and then training or coaching technical skills.
See the BIG picture. Focus on what’s important.
theBIGpicture Camille 