Last week we talked about “life long
learning” as a key
element to all good leaders. They
are always learning
something.
So what do they do with this new
knowledge and understanding?
Hopefully they are not like the greedy
little monkeys.
You see, greedy little monkeys get
caught very easily because they are
curious, yet also selfish.
Let’s transport ourselves to the
equatorial jungle area of Africa, South
America or South East Asia. Your job is
to hunt the elusive, quick climbing and
evasive monkeys.
So how does the idea of a greedy little
monkey come in….
Of course the monkey can climb faster
than you, can swing from tree to tree,
go from the ground to the tree tops
like lightning and hide very easily in
the trees.
So you, the hunter thinks about the
monkey’s behavior and how curious they
are. From this observation you
formulate a strategy on how to catch
the monkey very quickly and on your
terms.
Monkey’s love most nuts! You find their
favorite type of nut. Then a tree with
a small hollow hole is located. Now the
hole is bored out just so the nut will
fit through. The inside of the hole is
bored out larger so a fist can be made
when the nut is grabbed.
Along comes the curious monkey and
reaches into the hole.
What a find, a free nut! The monkey
grabs the nut in its fist and then the
greedy monkey comes out!
Unable to pull their hand out of the
hole when in the form of a fist with
the nut; unwilling to let go of the
nut, the greedy monkey is caught.
You the hunter can walk right up to the
monkey and do as you wish, all the time
the monkey is holding fast to the nut,
unable to remove their hand from the
trap!
Caught by their own behavior!
Think about times in your past when
someone in authority had knowledge that
could have helped you or someone else,
but they did not share it or let go of
it. They like the greedy monkey, held
on to it and as a result something went
wrong or did not get done.
Many times over the years in my
conversations with owners, managers and
supervisors this type of behavior was
recognized and observed.
The person in authority held on to
knowledge and purposefully kept it from
the team or employees. Somehow it gave
them a feeling of power or control over
the others or was driven by some type
of fear as to what would happen if
everyone knew.
As a result, the team never had a clear
picture of what was expected or what
was going to happen next. The outcome
from this was poor production, poor
moral and mistrust.
The greedy monkeys then got caught in
their own trap. By holding onto the nut
(information/knowledge) they ended up
with poor production, high turnover
and frustration. All because of
their own behavior!
Hum, maybe we are like monkeys?
On the other hand observant leaders
realize that holding onto the nut is
going to create a problem. They also
realize their role is to create a
strong clear vision for the team and
anything that can help the team
reinforce that vision needs to be
shared.
One real challenge I’ve noted is a
reluctance to provide financial
information and company results, good
or bad!
“But it’s not their business how well
the companies is doing!”
“They don’t need to know how much money
we’re making!”
“If I tell them, they’ll tell our
competition and everyone else!”
Yes, some information does not need to
be broadcast, yet knowing what you’re
accomplishing is important to you,
isn’t it? Then why not the team as
well?
There are many great examples of
organizations making culture changes
and the struggle they had when first
providing the “numbers” to the team.
The team had many reactions…
- They
did not understand what the numbers
were for
- They
did not buy into the idea because it
was new and different
- They
did not know what to do with the
information
- The new
knowledge caused concern or fear in the
team members
- They
did not understand the vision or big
picture and how the numbers fit in
- They
did not trust the leadership because
they always worked for the “greedy
monkeys” before
- Because
of the mistrust they looked at this as
some trick
The leaders persisted and invested
time, resources and effort in helping
to educate the team. Some went as far
as providing full financial education
in reading p&l’s and balance
sheets.
Now in every example where the
leadership shared the key information,
helped the team understand the vision
and how the information fit in, the
results were phenomenal!
Productivity went up significantly,
turnover dropped to nil and fire
fighting disappeared!
Amazingly the team began to hold
themselves accountable, implemented
changes to improve the organization and
leaders were free to look to the future
rather than chained to today.
All of these results came about because
the leaders let go of the nut!
In short, good leaders share pertinent
information, they trust their team to
use information and knowledge to the
benefit of the team.
The leader that trusts and shares by
far outperform the “greedy monkey”!
What value might there be in examining
how you utilize your knowledge and
information? Might you find some of
your behaviors are a monkey trap
for you?
To sum it up:
- Leaders
are life long learners
- Leaders
share their knowledge and
information
Want more on how to develop your
leadership ability? The Leadership
Strategies program can
move you and your team forward.
Till next week, Watch out for the
“monkey traps”!
Harlan Goerger
National Training Director
© Harlan
Goerger 7/2007
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