Family Across the Stars,
A recent discussion between established and brand-new CEOs has taught me a few new things I’d like to share with you all. The first of which is how effective one CEO found it to shift his focus from achieving certain goals, and measuring success based on when or how well those goals were achieved, to just developing the people under him. I, along with the other CEOs at this discussion, agree that his shift is the right idea; we grow as a company best when we make each other, not our metrics, the priority.
Second, it was recommended to control results, not actions; that is to say that we should give our people more flexibility and freedom to decide how to do their jobs, so long as the important results keep happening. We can control the results better when we don’t control our employees as much. Better results come from talented individuals who feel respected with the necessary authority delegated to interpret and carry out all their tasking.
The third take-away from this CEOs event was: Don’t get burned out trying to be involved in or in control of everything; keep pushing tasks down to other people and levels, delegating responsibilities, which builds people and trust up, giving them more lessons and accomplishments to learn and gain confidence from, which helps with retention and results, and keeps leaders free to do the work they need to; maintaining the creative vision, for example. This has always been important to me; finding ways to free up enough of my time to give enough attention to my ongoing creative vision, that I remember each piece and have time to convey it all to you. You are the ones making it happen, and that happens when I make sure I am able to be the one receiving and sharing it all with you.
To recap, 1) develop your people before you focus on achieving other goals, because your people are the ones who will get you to those goals, 2) let your people determine their own best actions, which will get you the best results, and 3) keep giving the tasks you think of to them, not because you don’t want to do the work, but because this is how you help them take on greater and greater responsibilities, which boosts their confidence and readiness, and which keeps you free to keep thinking up other great tasking. In a company of companies as big and growing as ours, these points of advice couldn’t be any truer or more relevant. Apply them to your buildings, offices, and teams today.
This is the latest methodology of how we succeed. This is WGI. Thank you for your time, my fellow Inisfreeans, and keep up the great work!
To paradise and beyond,
A °
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