This story is sometimes used by people talking about leadership, worthwhile repeating and thinking about.
A person passes by a building site and is curious what is happening there; hence he asks some of the workers: ’What are you doing here?’
The first worker answers: ‘I am laying bricks, row after row, and always put some concrete between the bricks.
The second worker says: ‘I am building a wall.’
The third worker says: ‘I am building a beautiful family home’.
It looks like all are basically doing the same job, but express it differently. Why? It is because they have a different understanding about their job which relates to their own attitude AND / OR their supervisor has a different management approach. Therefore:
The first worker’s mindset maybe ‘I just do as I am told’ AND / OR his supervisor’s management approach maybe ‘Just do as I tell you’. How motivated would this worker be? How many suggestions for work improvement would this worker make? How could this impact the work result?
The second worker has a clear understanding about the final outcome of his bricklaying work AND / OR his supervisor has clearly identified the purpose of the work and the goal, hopefully in measurable terms and with a deadline. Ask yourself the same questions as in the previous paragraph.
The third worker has a clear understanding about the final outcome of his work AND how his work contributes to the bigger goal of the team AND / OR his supervisor provided, besides a specific goal for the worker, an overall goal of what the whole team wants to achieve here. Ask yourself the same question as above. To me another reminder that the team’s long term goal and individual staff goal must be in place.
Firstly, this will increase motivation. Secondly, it is the basis for empowerment. We can’t empower people without giving directions of what needs to be achieved here.
In my explanations I often use the words AND / OR, because I really believe that both staff and management have a responsibility here. The manager needs to deliver, although the staff doesn’t have to wait for delivery all the time, they can also go and fetch.
I suggest relating this to your own work environment. Do you need to take any action?
A person passes by a building site and is curious what is happening there; hence he asks some of the workers: ’What are you doing here?’
The first worker answers: ‘I am laying bricks, row after row, and always put some concrete between the bricks.
The second worker says: ‘I am building a wall.’
The third worker says: ‘I am building a beautiful family home’.
It looks like all are basically doing the same job, but express it differently. Why? It is because they have a different understanding about their job which relates to their own attitude AND / OR their supervisor has a different management approach. Therefore:
The first worker’s mindset maybe ‘I just do as I am told’ AND / OR his supervisor’s management approach maybe ‘Just do as I tell you’. How motivated would this worker be? How many suggestions for work improvement would this worker make? How could this impact the work result?
The second worker has a clear understanding about the final outcome of his bricklaying work AND / OR his supervisor has clearly identified the purpose of the work and the goal, hopefully in measurable terms and with a deadline. Ask yourself the same questions as in the previous paragraph.
The third worker has a clear understanding about the final outcome of his work AND how his work contributes to the bigger goal of the team AND / OR his supervisor provided, besides a specific goal for the worker, an overall goal of what the whole team wants to achieve here. Ask yourself the same question as above. To me another reminder that the team’s long term goal and individual staff goal must be in place.
Firstly, this will increase motivation. Secondly, it is the basis for empowerment. We can’t empower people without giving directions of what needs to be achieved here.
In my explanations I often use the words AND / OR, because I really believe that both staff and management have a responsibility here. The manager needs to deliver, although the staff doesn’t have to wait for delivery all the time, they can also go and fetch.
I suggest relating this to your own work environment. Do you need to take any action?
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