Because it is still trust

There are daily occasions that suggest parallels to my work and team management. Simple things like, for example, choosing which gadget to give to your son or daughter: is a walkie-talkie or a watch better?

Recently, an acquaintance gave his son a walkie-talkie. He uses it to communicate with him when he is in the yard: come home, he tells him; let me know if you move, he yells; let me know who you are playing with, and where, and with what, he croaks. And thanks to the walkie-talkie—because the child, fortunately, does not have a smartphone—thanks to the walkie-talkie he manages it remotely and commands it to do things. And if the child does not comply, because he is still a child, he continues to request, he continues to call back and order until the next one, and unheard, over and out!

We, in our family, we decided to give our daughter a watch. An inexpensive digital watch, without GPS, without the Internet, without tracking, without walkie-talkie, but with three essential functions: the time, because it is still a watch, the alarm, and trust.

We share a schedule with our daughter, and she knows she has to get back on time. If she’s afraid she’ll forget to look at the time, because she gets distracted, because she’s still a child, she sets an alarm.

And so I thought that managing a work team, in the end, you can decide whether to manage it with a walkie-talkie or with a watch. You can control, monitor, intervene, and order, or you can trust, decide together, share, and wait for the alarm to ring.

You can create an environment where people, because they are still people, where people feel observed, controlled, and distrusted, or you can share goals and expectations, sending a message that is clearer than loud. You can believe in everyone’s skills, or you can prioritize discipline and control. You can do what you want, of course, but you will get back what you do. And so, maybe, so it’s worth thinking about it a little.

If you give them the watch, you must equip yourself with patience, first of all, and the ability to accept that not everything will be done as you planned, but you will strengthen the bond of the work group and the climate of mutual respect and trust. If you give them the walkie-talkie, on the other hand, expect the implementation of orders and little more.

In short, you can use a walkie-talkie or a watch, and maybe you can use both, but you have to know when it is time to command and when, instead, it is time to trust.

You have to know that an environment in which everyone can give their best, however you look at it, is a healthy, stimulating and positive environment. And that if it smells rain outside, there is no need to scream to get back into the house: if you have done a good job, everyone will understand it by themselves.

🇮🇹 You can find here the original Italian post.