Tom Lemanski's

Leadership Breakthroughs

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Tom Lemanski's

Leadership Breakthroughs

Ideas for Leaders Who Inspire

Tom Lemanski

Why Can’t My People Think for Themselves?

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How often are you frustrated by the lack of thought, imagination, ingenuity and creativity that you receive from those around you?  Do you ever wonder…

Why Can't I Get My People to Think for Themselves?

Finger Point

There’s a wise old saying that’s worth exploring here.

 Whenever you point your finger at someone else, there are always at least three others pointing in the opposite direction.

Before pointing your finger at the others’ lack of thought and innovation, think about this:

To what extent have YOU contributed to an atmosphere where productive new ideas are scarce.   After all, who is the one who hired, trained, directed and is responsible for leading those people?

Assuming you want to experience more creative ideas and proactive problem solving, what can you do better or differently?  When it comes to innovative thinking from your team, is it possible that:

You HAVE NOT because you ASK NOT? * 

The Best Boss I Ever Had

Consider this classic example of “best boss behavior”.

“The best boss that I ever had was always challenging me with questions about the things I either was or should have been working on.  I knew that whenever I stepped into his office, I had to be prepared for his challenging questions.  So I worked to anticipate his challenges and always be prepared with thoughtful, informed responses.”

What lesson can you learn from this best-ever boss?  If you’d like to create an atmosphere where critical thinking is more the rule than the exception, consider how often you simply offer answers without challenging others to find their own.  

Critical Thinking

When this best boss skillfully challenged his people, how did they feel about him? High performing people welcome challenging inquiries.  For them, he was “the best”.  How would your people rate you?

Three Thought Provoking Essentials

I offer one warning. This style must be used skillfully and tactfully.  If you have a reputation for occasional sarcasm and condescension, you’re likely to struggle developing this skill.  In all cases, follow these 3 MUST DOs.

  1. Be sure that your expressed intention is to get the most of your peoples’ talent and efforts.
  2. Avoid becoming parental, demeaning or over judgmental.
  3. Make certain that you’re actively listening with both genuine interest and gratitude whenever you receive thoughtful responses.

Your people will respond by developing more thoughtful habits.  If not, who’s to blame?

If you think about it, you can add new meaning to the term “thought leadership”.

In the words of Peter Drucker,

“The leader of the past knew how to tell, the leader of the future will know how to ask.”

Your Best Boss Challenge

If you became more like that best boss, how much more introspective and innovative could your people become?

Related Posts

Acknowledgement

* “You HAVE NOT because you ASK NOT” is my first-ever biblical reference.  The source: James 2:13.

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