Let Them
- Blog Let Them
Turning people loose in the workplace
My third child wears the same outfit every day. My mother comments, his teachers laugh, and sometimes I even attempt to haggle with him over switching out those worn black sweatpants for his “cool blue ones,” so I can get at least one wash in.
I’ve come to realize, however, that after having three children there are certain things in parenting that really matter and certain things that don’t. A child wearing the same sweatpants every day? Not a huge deal in the scheme of things. A child hitting his brother? Definitely needs addressing.
I’ve luckily relinquished the idea that I can have total control over my children’s behavior. I lead them, but I know that I cannot MAKE them do what I want them to do. So, my son mostly wears the same outfit every day.
As a result, I am now able to see them more clearly. They are individuals, they make their own choices, they receive consequences for those choices and learn from them. They also, in fact, when given the chance, bring all the beautiful things about themselves to the dinner table each night, which blesses me immensely.
As a leader in any size company or organization, the same rings true—if you over control your employees, you’ll stifle them enough to miss all the ways they can make the business better.
Jon Greenwood, former executive at Huntington National Bank, calls this “turning people loose.” In his years of experience, he came to understand that the more space there was for people to be themselves as individuals in the workplace, the better. If given the opportunity, people could offer so much more than just task completion, they could create beautiful things. He offers four ways to let employees be who they are in the workplace. Here are four ways to let people loose:
Give space for passion:
Passion is a great motivator. Identify what your employees are passionate about. If it can be worked into their current role, great. If it can be worked into a different role within the company, then move them. Allow passion to help drive motivation and success.
Listen to their ideas:
Let there be space for the good, bad and crazy ideas of everyone on the team. That’s how new things come about and companies grow. Don’t promise that all ideas will come to fruition and don’t jump on bad ideas too quickly. Find the time and energy to simply allow them to be ideas that are shared and considered.
Foster fun:
While not every task is fun, some are. With the right attitude and mindset, most can be. Foster an environment of positivity, joy and sometimes play. Model having fun at work, showing them that a mindset of joy can lead to growth and success.
Let them be an owner:
Give them license to make decisions, take action and implement their good ideas. This empowers employees and helps the company grow. It also pushes people to become better versions of themselves.
One of Jon Greenwood’s mottos is to “fail fast and fail forward.” If leaders let their employees loose, giving them room to fail, learn, and grow then success is multiplied for everyone.
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This blog is based on IOL Podcast #163: Know Their Numbers with Jon Greenwood, check it out! The title is taken from Mel Robbins popular theory, “Let Them.”
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