When we think of great leaders, we marvel at their ability to enlist commitment from their team members. When we are committed, we are in with our heart and soul. Commitment is great!…but sometimes, even on the best teams, we have to settle for less.
Let me share an example: Last week I was coaching a client who was having trouble getting cooperation from one of his team. The subject was detail and documentation on a work order. The technician was consistently turning in work that was missing important information. It was not complete. Joe, the boss, ended up filling in the information himself. Joe was beside himself. “How can I get this guy to turn in accurate tickets?”
I asked Joe, “Think of the best teacher you ever had. Did they challenge you?” He said, “Yes, she challenged me a lot.” I asked, “And what if you turned something in to them that was incomplete? How would they react?” He replied, “She would make me do it over”. “Was it fun doing it over?” He said, “No”. “Are you glad she made you do it over?” “Yes”, he said. Great. Then be a good teacher and give them back their incomplete work.” He did. They went back and completed the ticket. Since that time, they have been responsible for several tickets. They have all been fully complete. The moral of this story: “Do not accept incomplete work. Send it back. It may be only compliance, but it is still leadership.”
