Be Self Managed
Take initiative in the absence of guidance – Many times at Greencastle we receive little or no guidance but are expected to make an impact. Our military experience gives us the construct to be able to get things moving. We can draw upon the many experiences in our military careers where guidance was ambiguous and unclear, yet success was essential. Another tactic is to ask questions of our peers and leadership.
No need to be micro-managed – No one likes to be micro managed and most likely, your manager doesn’t want to do it either. Micromanagement is a symptom of a lack of trust. Either your manager doesn’t trust you to accomplish the tasks in their absence or has an issue delegating. Either way, it’s a situation you should bring up quickly and try to figure out a solution.
Accept responsibility for good and bad – Greencastle is not a zero defect company. Meaning, employees should be ok with making a mistake (not on purpose, obviously). Mistakes mean that we are trying something new and have a chance to learn and grow from the outcome. Honest mistakes are ok, it is our response that determines if the overall outcome is positive or negative.
Handle your emotions so that they facilitate solutions rather than interfere with the task at hand – We can never let our response get in the way of the client success. Showing you are mad or angry is never a good thing and accomplishes nothing. If our client does it, not much we can do. Maybe, as a consultant, we can give them advice on how to handle it. But we are often in a position where others will feed off of our outward emotions. Try smiling, it costs nothing and will give people the feeling of calmness. Always remember – calm is contagious.
[blockquote]“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.”
Epictetus[/blockquote]
Do the right thing – always. This is a tough one. People are stubborn and will want to be right. It is IMPORTANT for them to be right. But remember, if you are crossing the street on a green walk signal and some jerk runs a red light, you might be right, but you are also dead. Pause and ask yourself, what is the RIGHT thing to do. Put the ego aside and do the right thing. Let the client take credit for your idea, it’s ok. Many time, when you can make the mental shift from trying to be right, to doing the right thing, there is an immediate impact. The tone of conversation changes from being adversarial and defensive to one of cooperation. More things get done when you focus on the right thing.
At Greencastle, every employee is expected to be self managed. If a manager has to take time and explain every detail and list out what needs to do on a daily basis, something is wrong. If a manager is a micromanager, something is wrong.
Be bold, take the initiative and be self managed. Best of all, if in doubt, ask. At Greencastle we are a team and an employee’s success is the team’s success and that leads to client success.