The Day I (almost) bought the company
It was supposed to be much easier…
- You must be kidding me! — he said — Why would I back you up?
Sitting in front of me, my boss was refusing to sell his company. In fact, it wasn’t even about his share, but the shares hold by family of long deceased board member.
- You told me, weeks ago, the company will look for a buyer. I know all the issues we face as a team. — I said — Why wouldn’t you support me in fixing those?
I saw it in his eyes, a certain squint of disbelief, when I told him about winning a lottery rollover. When I told him I want to buy out available shares. But… there was something else. I knew the man for long enough to realize there was something else.
- First, this is my business, built on my ideas. Second, I try to make my dreams come true here. You cannot. Just. Simply. Buy it.
I remember waking up from this dream. Feeling shadows of strong emotions still fluttering within me. I remember surprise caused by decisions I made because I knew I’d rather build something anew than buy.
On my way to the office, unaware of how prophetic the dream will turn out to be, I asked myself a question “what I really tried to buy?”.
Wish for a better place
Most CEOs these days would like their employees to treat the customers with such care as if they (employees) owned the business themselves. CEO in our company was no different, meaning he definitely wouldn’t mind if our organisation was more customer focused.
How to make it happen? If talking about it and putting it in corporate values list was enough, then surely, majority of companies would have made it happen by now.
What was the missing ingredient?
Maybe a simple concept, but difficult to introduce. Maybe painful. Or contradictory to common sense.
Wired for shortcuts
It all clicked into place, when I realized it was the dream that triggered my thoughts about company’s values.
In my dream I tried to take the shortcut. I tried to buy influence, to bypass buy-in part of every change, to skip the hard work with people. Instead of gaining their support and trust, I tried to tell them how it should work. Identifying problems and brainstorming possible solutions was the easy part. Influencing people and selling ideas was not. Forgetting about ‘my best solution’ and going with ‘the best we can agree to’ is hard.
CEOs take a shortcuts too. Telling people what they should value is easy part. Selling those values is not enough too, a shortcut. It is hard to allow people to identify problems and brainstorm solutions themselves. It is hard to empower them and support their decisions. Amount of power in organisation remains the same, yet, it is often uncomfortable to pass some of it.
Delegation creates engagement
About a day later, I stumbled upon an article on delegation levels. Back then it was just initial concept in times preceding Management 3.0, although I found it intriguing. It described gradual steps between ‘I do the job’ and ‘You do it’:
- I make the decision and tell you.
- I will try sell it to you before deciding.
- I will consult you before deciding.
- We will agree on decision.
- You will consult it with me before deciding.
- You will try sell it to me before deciding.
- You make the decision. I don’t need to be involved.
What happens when you ask somebody for an opinion? What changes in his perception when you use answer supplied to alter the way you work, your decisions?
More than that, what happens when you decide to trust somebody to do what you would usually do yourself? How does it change his perception when you clarify boundaries and constraints, allow that person to brainstorm solutions to the problem and prepare necessary decisions to be consulted with you?
I remember Lee Nicholls, Head of Securities Operations Technology in Bank of America, sharing his story at one of the conferences in 2014. For many years he believed his responsibilities as a manager were to tell people what to do, so that they delivered what was expected. His biggest discovery, when he started working with Agile teams, was understanding how wrong he was. When they gave teams more autonomy, ownership and trust, when he stopped telling them what to do, they exceeded the expectations! Initially, it was uncomfortable to ease off and he was prepared for failure. The later realization was disturbing, yet benefits in productivity and morale were more rewarding than any personal discomfort he experienced at the time.
Delegation is a powerful tool. I experienced it first hand on many occasions. People start to receive different message, starting from ‘I value your opinion’ going through ‘I value your skills and expertise’ to the strongest ‘I give you control over a part of the company’. It changes their perception of the culture of the company, their confidence, morale and satisfaction.
If you want your employees care like owners, give them autonomy.
Pragmatic thoughts
- Delegation is a powerful, but neglected tool.
Difference between Tell/Sell/Consult might be seen by managers as inconvenience. “Why should I bother with consulting, if I am going to decide anyway?” they may ask. Yet, this is the same mindset that creates disengagement in the first place. Lack of delegation sends clear message: “I don’t care what you think, what your skills are and I don’t believe your input would help here”.
If it’s not what you intended, change it. - People often think there is one setting for all, before they become familiar with delegation levels . They get confused when their manager shows total trust, allowing them to decide on some things, at the same time requiring strict authorization on others.
Shared understanding is created by discussion. Try to expose ‘default’ setting and what was assumed or missing. Capture findings by listing delegation areas and associated levels. - Make it dynamic, it’s not written in stone.
Leaders and coaches use this approach to increase empowerment and accountability. They allow individuals or teams to make decisions themselves, giving them opportunity to solve original problem. If it doesn’t work out, they decrease delegation level after a certain time and study reasons behind it. - Empower with contacts, information, tools and training.
Empowering means the whole package. Everything that helps you do your magic, work at your best, decide, should be shared if you want to avoid disappointment. Of course you wouldn’t expect anyone to choose the best candidate for a position without giving him insight into CVs and opportunity to meet candidates. Yet, it is quite common to ask a team to choose the best strategy for their project without sharing all the information. How are they supposed to decide whether to buy a 3rd party solution or build in-house one, if they don’t know how much a week of delay is worth?
What is the most powerful way to create engagement?
Have you ever cared like owner (or even more)? What made you feel that way?
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