In strategic terms there is ONE mental premise that guides the Leader's thinking. All the rest of his actions follow from her.
The premise is attributed to a general in the US Army: "I do NOTHING that someone else can do for me."
Simple!
This reasoning constitutes the cornerstone of the Leader's strategic thinking. In it is hidden the powerful magic of Delegation, Distinction and the exercise of comparative advantages.
Organizations that intend to stand out in the market and prevail over their competitors must form work teams with great tactical solvency: effective, independent, fast and compact. These teams take shape when they are composed of Specialists with a developed sense of coordinating activities.
The Specialist himself shares the logic of "DO NOT do ANYTHING that someone else can do for him." This is what coordination between people who are solvent in what they do is about. The specialist is aware of the solvency he possesses and distinguishes himself from others, but above all he is aware of his relative ignorance regarding the knowledge possessed by the other members of the team. This is how the whole works efficiently!
The "tactical approach" of organizational work (that which is essential to adopt where there are competitive dynamics), demands that the treatment of things be carried out from the "bottom up", from the base of the Organization that is in direct contact with the Client, towards senior management. Only in this way are decisions consistent with the reality presented by the environment and one's own capacity. The “tactical approach” is based on the work of specialists in what they do throughout the structure and Leaders with conceptual criteria to gather and mentally process all the factors inherent to decision-making: Tactical Approach in the development of Tasks and Strategic Criterion in Decision-making.
In this way, the Leader's Strategic Criteria for decision making is based on the ability of others to do the tasks that correspond to them and the decisions inherent in the different levels of the structure.
When the Leader does NOT do anything that another can do for him, the fact is fulfilled that NOBODY can do his part.
- The first task of the Leader, the one that even precedes the establishment of the Strategy, is the formation of a work team composed of Specialists in the tasks that must be done.The Specialist does not need support to do what he knows, he needs guidance so that your contribution is always inscribed within the framework of the greatest interests. This is the Leader's responsibility: to guide The Specialist needs to be endowed with what is indispensable and necessary to do what he knows, and this is another responsibility of the Leader: to ensure the proportion of resources necessary for the task The Specialist needs to measure the result of their tasks and the Leader has the responsibility to set goals.
In the Leader's mind it makes sense that the less work is demanded of him, the better the structure is working.
In the mind of the Leader the premise of "letting go" prevails, not interfering, not disturbing. That's the work environment that suits true specialists.
For this there is an essential condition, possibly the one that ultimately qualifies a Leader: security and self-confidence. It is not necessarily a matter of technical capacity or extensive knowledge about what the Organization does, it is a matter of Trust. No one can be asked to trust others if he does not trust himself first. And on the other hand, that security and self-confidence comes from the simple fact of surrounding yourself with people who know how to do the things that are needed very well.
The Leader "is conspicuous by his absence, not by his presence." You do this by surrounding yourself with people who know how to do what it takes. The Leader is that “invisible hand” that is present in everything that happens in the Organization from the subtle management of the solvent structure that it has formed.
There is not necessarily a "father figure" in the Leader, this may reflect weaknesses in the structure. Ultimately this is all about doing a job and meeting goals. Neither the logic of the "friend" or the "partner", because both the Leader and the Specialist know that the task is a function that does not represent at all the set of important things in life, there is a professional and a personal dimension to everyone.
There is a lot of talk about the “human factor” in the Leader's task, but this must necessarily be a condition, not an element to be judged in the role. The “human qualities” cannot be interposed in the evaluation of a Leader since if they do not exist there is nothing to evaluate either. The Leader who does not have "human qualities" is not a Leader, period!
Something different, and that receives less attention, is related to the “professional qualities” of the team that surrounds the Leader, since many times the defect in these “professional qualities” is what qualifies the “human dimension” of the Leader. A Professional, in the broad sense of the word, is aware that he carries out his task in a specific field: it is a job that must be done and it has nothing to do with the integral meaning of life!
Contrary to popular belief, it is healthy to make work activities and relationships “less personal”. Take away a bit of the emotional ingredient, at least from the elements of Organizational Culture. Each individual always carries an emotional ingredient and the desire to intensify it for the development of professional tasks contributes little, even less considering the degree of emotionality that competitive dynamics entails.
A single Premise makes the Leader's Mind work: DO NOTHING that another can do for him. This is as simple as forming a solid team of specialists in the tasks that must be done and respecting the professional quality with which they do the work.
AUTHOR'S DATA.-
Carlos Eduardo Nava Condarco, a native of Bolivia, lives in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, is a Business Administrator and Entrepreneur. He currently works as Manager of his Company, Business Strategy and Personal Development Consultant, writer and Entrepreneur Coach.
Author of the book: “Entrepreneurship is a way of life. Development of Entrepreneurial Awareness ”
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