The Lost Art of “Digging In”
We have all had a manager request something from us that they have never done themselves. What an amazing opportunity this is for our manager and for us. Hopefully your leader embraces “digging in”. By admitting the novelty and complexity of the new challenge and by joining you in “rolling up your sleeves” and seeking to understand the details, you will learn together and gain mutual respect.
Real Talk
Oh, how I wish this was the norm. Unfortunately, from both experience and years of mentoring others, I have learned, it is often the exception.
The problem
When healthcare leaders are faced with the next “big thing”, a new technology or the next CMS regulation, why does this new challenge or complex information interpretation become a workload for a direct report, versus a challenge for the whole team to be led by the leader? Yes, leaders should lead. If we are not willing to dig in with our direct reports, how do we know the end product is designed correctly, of great quality or even accurate?
Real Talk
When did leadership mean a novel scope of work to be completed or a difficult workload to be managed, is “not my problem”. Not that most leaders would admit this, more often avoidance becomes the style that prevails.
Meetings have replaced leading the accomplishment.
Dropping in for 30 minutes has replaced facilitating a design session.
Staying in your office has replaced being out on the unit.
What if the culture of the organization further advances avoidance?
Culture
When an organization creates meetings for updates to a project as priority over working sessions with the team, it sends a message. When leadership retreats are in budget while individual development trainings are discontinued, it sends a message. When power point decks are reviewed instead of collaborating across teams with open dialogue, it sends a message.
A solution for the direct report:
if you are the one being asked to accomplish something that has never been done or that is not well understood, request these items from your leader. Ask them to define the problem and the goal expected from solving the problem. Then ask where the information should be gathered from as the preferred source. Finally ask your manager to dedicate working time with you to manage the workload together. If you meet resistance, ask again at a later time. This respectful request will remain in that leader’s mind and you may be surprised by the response the next time you ask.
A solution for leadership:
The next time you are asked to increase patient access goals, improve a new quality goal or devise a strategy to help with a new regulation, this is your moment. Take the time to dig in. Cancel half a day of meetings. Define the problem in a paragraph and then succinctly in one sentence. Document what you understand and more importantly, what there is to learn. Determine where you will get the information to understand the details. Determine the team needed to learn WITH you! Then take the time to dig into the details and learn something yourself before expecting your team to learn everything. Then lead a design meeting with 3-5 direct reports that may be impacted by the challenge and admit to the unknown, the difficulty of the challenge and request input – you will be pleasantly surprised.
In closing
There is nothing more important than digging in and understanding something yourself. Valuing your team’s time and energy as much as your own. Valuing doing and accomplishing over discussing and directing. You may miss a meeting or need to juggle your time to make room for this effort, but you will never regret being humble in your need to learn, being gracious in your ability to help and being proud of your opportunity to lead.
For more…
Email me at info@POMwomen.com for my FREE Leadership Project Responsibility Checklist.
And look for my next leadership blog, “How do I know I am avoiding?”