The new generation of staff coming into our organisation, brought up in an internet and social media world seem to have no boundaries or constraints on the way they think. Perhaps it is just that life, and working in a big company hasn’t yet taught them that there are stumbling blocks and barriers along the way.
Or maybe they are just less likely to take no for an answer.
At the other end of the scale I occasionally – and I do emphasise only occasionally – come across colleagues who know all the reasons why something won’t work or can’t be done. Years of slow progress has worn them down.
I think it’s important not to lose that enthusiasm of youth, to never stop asking why, and to always look for the ways to do things rather than the reasons not to. And to do this, people need to feel able to make decisions, about their own work and the way they go about it.
They need to feel their views are listened to and are important. They need to see they can suggest changes and that they are done.
We are currently trying to improve and speed up decision making in our network. My senior team know full well that often the people best able to take the right decision are those closest to the issue – and that they’ll probably take any decision more rapidly too.
Informed decision making – taking risks where appropriate and where backed up by data and knowledge is what we’re after. What is interesting is to understand why people wont be bold, usually because they either feel lacking in confidence or lacking in empowerment.
If it is the latter I have found that a really powerful response to a request for guidance is ” I don’t know, you decide”. Simple as that, those that want to crack on will do so, some will not. Try it.
The way that individuals approach work has changed immensely over the years. The way that work approaches the individual should too.
Duncan Crocker is managing director at Legal & General Network
