Curt said, “I turn away when they load accident victims in the back. If I looked, the medical team would probably have another patient. I don’t want to know what’s going on back there. I can hear it when things are getting dicey but I try to ignore it.”
On the one year anniversary of the accident, I went looking for the Life Flight crew that saved my life. I found their names and shook hands with the pilot. I hope to thank the nurse and paramedic another time.
Curt is a former military aviator with a clear mission; arrive safely at the regional trauma center. He leverages his strengths while others, in the back, leverage theirs. He always operates at peak performance. Conditions in the back don’t matter.
Turning away enables dispassionate performance. He ignores accident victims because he cares, not because he doesn’t.
4 Benefits of ignoring others:
- Staying in your sweet spot. Meddling won’t help.
- Freeing others to stay in their sweet spots.
- Dispassionate decision-making.
- Skillful, consistent execution.
4 Ways to ignore others:
- Respect and honor their skills.
- Trust them to execute.
- Think humbly about yourself. Many over-estimate their competence.
- Concentrate on your responsibility.
Like most leadership skills, ignoring others isn’t universal. But, it may apply to you. Have you heard team members say, “Just leave me alone so I can do my job.” It’s one thing to support, encourage, and enable; it’s another to meddle.
Curt said, “I was just doing my job.” I reached out my hand, looked Curt in the eye, and said, “Thank you for doing your job.”
***
If you aren’t aware of the accident, “The Reason I haven’t Posted in a Week” will help.
How can leaders balance involvement and non-involvement?
Tags: consistent execution, Delegation, Leadership, Leadership Development, military aviator, organizational success, regional trauma center
November 21, 2012 at 6:47 am |
Understanding our own “sweet spot” is a valuable skill.. one of my great managers, who promoted me to my first managing role, said “your primary job is no longer doing tasks, its ensuring tasks get done..” My job became a seeker/discerner of great skill & talent sets.
…I remember the transition feeling odd at times.
November 21, 2012 at 10:29 am |
Thank you Ken. YOu were fortunate to have a wise mentor. The transition you mention can be a tough one.
November 21, 2012 at 9:22 am |
Ask Questions rather than give Answers and the balance will happen.
Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving…Jim
November 21, 2012 at 10:30 am |
Thank you Jim. Nothing like a clear, actionable insight to remove all excuses.
November 21, 2012 at 10:03 am |
Balance is the key Dan. And the way to get to balance is self-awareness. Know who you are, why you’ve come and what you are really about.
It also means knowing these same things about your team members. Every day that I get to do my “favorite” part of my job, operate, I am captain of the ship as soon as I walk into the room. This is hardly meant to sound arogant, it is very humbling.
This means that I have to do my job well while allowing others to do what they have been trained to do and do well. It means that I have to be aware, on some level, of everything that’s going on around me.
For me this means that I have to discern when something in the room, the meeting, whatever is not going as it should, correct it and still keep things moving along. And, gorrection needs to be tempered and never harsh and never humiliating or demoralizing.
When you know yourself and your team members, you can “ignore” them. Perhaps a better word is that you can trust them as much as they trust you.
Good post, welcome back.
November 21, 2012 at 10:32 am |
Thank you for consistently sharing your insights. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your work life.
Your second paragraph lifts us from individual contributor to manager/leader… a powerful shift.
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 21, 2012 at 10:54 am |
One year. Wow. Time flies when you’re having fun!
November 21, 2012 at 3:35 pm |
Yes indeed… Time FLIES when you’re having fun…I think I’d rather walk
November 21, 2012 at 1:12 pm |
What a powerful point – ignoring certain things to accomplish the best thing! You’ve also given me a nudge to look up my helicopter flight crew & thank the pilot for ignoring me while the paramedics kept me alive in the back.
November 21, 2012 at 3:36 pm |
Thank you Cam. Lets go ignore stuff…
November 21, 2012 at 9:04 pm |
Happy Thanksgiving Dan, I am thankful for all of the good management tips and wisdom that you provide!
November 22, 2012 at 6:57 am |
Dan, interesting point and provocative at first sight. Isn’t great teamwork, ability to delegate as well as trust a requirement to ignore others?
November 23, 2012 at 11:40 am |
I am glad to hear you are ok, and hope you are making a speedy recovery.
I would like to thank you for the inspiring words you publish, your blog means a lot to me.
Kindest regards,
Bobby Goulding,
Entrepreneur and photographer
November 28, 2012 at 12:51 am |
Great suggestions for making things run smoother in an organization. Managers who try to be too hands-on when their employees know what they are doing tend to cause things to slow down, which can lead to problems and resentments. Even if a manager once did that exact job before he or she was promoted, it does not necessarily mean the manager knows the job better than the staff member does.