Ugh...I've been in countless situations where you know (as the boots on the ground) that you are going in the wrong direction, but you want to be a good team player. I have rarely questioned any of my superiors, because 1. who am I to question? 2. maybe they know a lot more about the details than I do and 3. they hired me to execute their gameplan, regardless if I think they are wrong about the direction.
Now having been in business for 25+ years, I can say that I was not alone. I can also say that the internal conflict of trying to execute something you don't fully believe in is problematic as you wont get your best work. Multiply that by all of the other non-beleivers, and that is what I beleive prevents most companies from achieving even a modocum of forward momemtum. I think the best thing a leader can do is remain humble and open minded. If they need to pivot the direction of the company, then they must be prepared to sell this pitch. There is a big difference between employees pitching their leaders and vice versa.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts experience Nick. It can be tough for leaders to distinguish between constructive criticism and simply resistance to chance. Articulating goals and strategic direction is important, but providing flexibility on tactics and agreeing on both qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate progress is critical as well and leaders must remain open-minded on how to achieve their objectives.
Ugh...I've been in countless situations where you know (as the boots on the ground) that you are going in the wrong direction, but you want to be a good team player. I have rarely questioned any of my superiors, because 1. who am I to question? 2. maybe they know a lot more about the details than I do and 3. they hired me to execute their gameplan, regardless if I think they are wrong about the direction.
Now having been in business for 25+ years, I can say that I was not alone. I can also say that the internal conflict of trying to execute something you don't fully believe in is problematic as you wont get your best work. Multiply that by all of the other non-beleivers, and that is what I beleive prevents most companies from achieving even a modocum of forward momemtum. I think the best thing a leader can do is remain humble and open minded. If they need to pivot the direction of the company, then they must be prepared to sell this pitch. There is a big difference between employees pitching their leaders and vice versa.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts experience Nick. It can be tough for leaders to distinguish between constructive criticism and simply resistance to chance. Articulating goals and strategic direction is important, but providing flexibility on tactics and agreeing on both qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate progress is critical as well and leaders must remain open-minded on how to achieve their objectives.