Do They Have the Right Tools for the Job?

Have you ever been expected to accomplish a task without having the tools you need to do it? I’m guessing the majority of folks I’d ask that question would be able to provide very specific details around their own example of this almost immediately! If that’s never happened to you, let me know where you’ve worked and if any of those places are hiring…

Seriously though, I’ve seen this happen in all kinds of scenarios and in basically every organization I can think of. That said, I’ve rarely known an executive - and certainly never a leader - who has intentionally given someone on their team a task without having what they needed to accomplish it. But that’s not to say it doesn’t happen at times…

One company we work with routinely has even put systems in place to empower their team members to prevent this from happening; the owner of that company makes it known that not having the necessary tools should never be the reason a job doesn’t get done! He hasn’t gone as far as handing out blank checks, but I’ve rarely seen him push back when anyone provides him with a legitimate reason for making a purchase.

It’s not that hard to picture this when it comes to the physical tools used in a given trade, but what about the tools that are needed in every single organization - especially if the owners and executives hope to develop or even maintain a culture that attracts and keeps great people? Those tools are rarely on the shelf at the local hardware store, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore them!

A skill that we’ve seen be absolutely critical for business owners and executives to master has been learning to identify what tools each of their team members need to perform greatly in each new role they task them with. It’s easy to assume that someone who’s great at what they’re currently doing will do just as well with anything else, but that’s just not how life works. However, recognizing what tools are necessary for each new task, and when to provide them, can play a huge part in developing our team members. And when those tools help those team members lead their own team more effectively, we’ll soon see exponential results throughout our organization.

But even then, it won’t  automatically happen by just making the tools available so now let’s look at the executive leadership skill that keeps this process moving..

Did You Set Clear Expectations?

Whether you’re leading a small department or a large organization, there’s never a shortage in things that need your attention… Even after those business owners and executives we’ve been looking at have invested the time and energy into leading their teams effectively and ensuring the leaders around them have the right tools to support the people who are counting on them, the work still isn’t done! If they haven’t been extremely clear about the expectations they have for how those tools should be applied and the results that need to be achieved in order to get a tangible return on investment, the odds of actually seeing those results are slim.

Picture this: you have a crew of carpenters who have traditionally used mostly hand tools and a few corded power tools. They’re about to begin a large project where they won’t have access to electricity and the foreman comes to you with a request to purchase a few thousand dollars worth of new battery powered tools, suggesting that this may save time and eliminate the expense of renting/operating a generator for the length of the project. Do you approve the purchase?

Maybe? Maybe not… In nearly two decades with a large manufacturing facility, I saw the standard practice for approving requests similar to that be to require a detailed explanation of how the investment would pay for itself within 18-24 months and be an overall reduction in costs moving forward. Even when the numbers lined up on paper, there was still the matter of making sure those same numbers held true in reality - but that’s a story for another day…

For the sake of time here and now, let’s say the foreman did provide us with a thorough enough explanation for how those new tools would save time and cut costs on the upcoming job to justify the purchase. We purchased the tools and sent them on their way. A few weeks into the project, we visit the jobsite and notice that all those new tools are still in the original packaging. Further, it appears that the crew is already falling way behind on the expected timeline. When we question the foreman about the progress, he explains that it’s because they don’t have electricity at the jobsite and that they haven’t taken the time to start using the new tools yet.  What do we do?

I realize this is a far-fetched example. I truly can’t imagine this ever actually happening on a construction site. But how often have we invested in tools, such as training and development courses, to help our leaders be more effective with their team members only to have them keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing? Not so far-fetched now, huh?

Once we’ve learned how to recognize what tools are needed and we’ve given our team members access to those tools, the next executive leadership skill we need to master is providing those same team members with very clear expectations as to how they should be using those tools and what results we need them to accomplish now that they have them! Let’s be honest, it’s often easier to muddle through the same old problems than it is to do the hard work of changing our behavior. Without setting those clear expectations for what needs to change as well as the results that should come from those changes, those tools may never be taken out of the box…

With clear expectations in place, we’re on the right path. But there’s still one more thing a strong leader will need to do if they want to make sure they’re building a great leadership culture and their team has bought in so let’s close the loop with that.

Service and Empowerment!

To this point, we’ve looked at how critical it can be for business owners or executives to surround themselves with other leaders they can trust for wise counsel, we worked through a process that Cindy and I created to help a group of those folks develop solid executive leadership solutions to the issues they face in their respective organizations that rest squarely on their shoulders alone, and we’ve worked through a few specific skills that owners and executives need to practice to truly lead their organizations rather than just manage them. Let’s close the loop here by looking at one final executive leadership skill that I believe ties all the rest together…

When it comes to business owners and higher level executives, this can have an exponential impact on the organization - good or bad! When the one calling the shots shows their team that they’re more interested in what they can get for themselves, that not only cuts into any loyalty those team members may have had to that point, it also pushes the folks around them with any authority at all to do the same thing. And sooner than later, there’s no one left who’s willing to carry the load!

But when a business owner is focused on genuinely empowering their team and constantly looks for ways they can serve them so each of them achieves better results, we can expect to see a level of loyalty that can’t be bought! We recently looked at the importance of providing the right tools to do the job and setting clear expectations for using those tools to get results. Once we’ve done that, it may be as simple as lending a hand when needed but staying out of the way for the most part!

Simple enough, right? Let’s be honest here though, none of this is easy! Anyone wanting to own a business, especially one with a decent number of employees, or anyone hoping to move into one of those executive roles who does it for the perks alone won’t likely perform well over the long haul - at least not with the same team members! Everything we’ve worked through to this point requires a significant amount of effort… But I’ve never seen anything that makes a lasting positive impact that doesn’t take effort! And making that positive impact is the reward that the best leaders cherish!