It seems increasingly more common to see ICs hesitate to act until they receive some kind of direction or approval from someone higher up the chain than themselves. I understand why people do this, but it's not a good mindset for growth. It's handicapping your personal growth and the org you work for's growth.
A great thing to look to for a comparison are different militaries and the way they conduct war. The organizations with the old fashioned top down decision making process move slower and are often times out manuvered because every decision made has to go through a game of telephone. Whereas militaries that grant decision making abilities to the boots on the ground can adapt and move much quicker as they can see the battlefield first had giving them the ability to call audibles and take advantage of situations before the oportunity is gone.
Sure, sometimes you're going to make a bad call and there might be some negative consequences but don't let fear of failure keep you from finding your own success.
Some organizations discourage innovating and taking the ball and running with it. If you're at one of those, you're growth is being stunted.
If your leadership doesn't mind you taking charge and getting shit done, take full advantage of it.
If you're a sales leader, encourage your team to try new things, test out ideas, and run the show. You'll likely uncover a lot of shit you should have been doing a long time ago.
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