It Rarely Works That Way

The task had been assigned and it was my role to get the whole team on board and get it done.

I came up with an idea and I thought it was good. I went to the team and told them the plan.

I didn’t ask for input...

and then…

nothing…

blank stares…

and even after explaining the why behind the plan…

nothing…

they all went away with their assignment that would make the plan, my plan work, but then…

nothing…

no one followed through with the plan. 

It was a total flop.

WHY?

I didn’t let them have input on ways to accomplish the task. My plan might have been great, but dictating how it was to be done excluded and I think even devalued the team.

What would I do differently?

Present the opportunity or project to the team and let them brainstorm how to get it accomplished.

In Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull makes this statement: “When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.” I have found that if the leader of the group speaks too soon it stifles all conversations, creativity, and limits collaborative intelligence. It makes no sense to hire great team players and then not let them play.  

No matter how great our idea, it could be even better with input from the team.