There’s an assortment of management systems, philosophies and tactics that have come and gone for the past 100 years including…
There is a management system that I’ve observed in organizations ranging from two partner companies to the Fortune 100. I hereby call it Management By Telepathy. This is not one of those new buzzword breakthrough management systems that I would aspire to develop a consulting practice around. Instead it’s a metaphoric mirror for managers who wonder why their seemly talented staff fails to meet expectations.
Telepathy is defined as “Communication through means other than the senses, as by the exercise of an occult power”. So, Management By Telepathy (MBT) is a style practiced by managers who rely on their people’s ability to acquire information from non-sensory sources. More simply stated MBT advocates rely on the mind reading ability of others to get results. Unless they’ve recruited a staff of clairvoyants, Management By Telepathy practitioners are typically playing a lose-lose game of “Stump The Chump“. Their chumps then need folks like Carnac The Magnificent to figure things out.
If it’s such an inherently futile philosophy, why is it so widely practiced? Occasionally, subordinates of MBTs are either lucky or clever enough to figure things out on their own. The practice is validated. Mind reading ability is falsely accepted as a universally attainable skill. Assuming clairvoyance is also supported by some reasonable assumptions and beliefs like…
“Most people, given the same information, will come very close to the same conclusions.”
– from Ray Overdorff’s Six Truths of the Workplace
The issue for telepathic managers is when others don’t have the same information, their conclusions will vary. These managers then seek to place full blame for the information gap on others. Whenever you point a finger there are always three others pointing in the other direction.
Management By Telepathy practitioners often suffer from The Curse of Knowledge. And the smarter you are, the more likely you are to be cursed by your knowledge. When attempting to communicate with those who lack your frame of reference or depth of knowledge and understanding, you assume you are getting through. And you know the dangers when you ASSUME. You’re unable to recognize that others lack your frame of reference. So you’re unaware of the need to enhance or adjust your communication. When others are not “given the same information“. Their conclusions will vary. And, results will suffer.
It may be a fair assumption that your people should have the skills to do their jobs. For them to effectively make decisions on what to do and when to do it depends on a clear understanding of why. And if you believe that “because I said so” is reason enough, first be certain that you’ve actually said so and second, understand that first rate execution requires more than that. Have you been assigning tasks? Or delegating responsibility for a clearly stated, beneficial outcome?
Can you begin to understand the reason that those three fingers are pointing back in your direction.
When your people are continually achieving more goals more often, you can take your business where ever you want it to go. This can not occur with Management By Telepathy. There must be Management By Commitment. It’s the essence of Working SMART.
Management By Telepathy is already too prevalent. Because I believe it causes needless damage to our ability to do more, I am committed to both stopping and preventing it. Let me know if I can help…
Tom Lemanski serves as an executive coach and trusted advisor to successful Chicago area executives who are driven to be more successful. Tom has developed leaders in over 60 different industries of the the past 20 years.
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“Power today comes from sharing information, not from withholding it.'” – Keith Ferrazzi