Damn – he is here. I cannot get away from this guy. I was a young Army Officer shopping in the Post Exchange when I noticed that my company commander was also there with his wife. Captain Tasker came over to chat. He briefly introduced his wife and then rapidly shifted gears into work mode. The one-way conversation lasted all of five minutes. In that timeframe, he managed to task me with three new things that needed to be done by Monday. My plans for the weekend quickly disappeared. I could tell that Captain Tasker’s wife was embarrassed by his antics. But, he did not care. Captain Tasker seemed to make this horrible mistake over and over when engaging his team members. All work, all the time.
A horrible mistake is always tasking your team members
It is easy to become obsessed with your work. More specifically, it is not uncommon for a leader to have more tasks to complete than time available. I recall several occasions when I keep thinking about how in the world my team would get all the required work done. I recommend you avoid transferring this pressure to your team members when you engage them. What does that look like? You complain about being overwhelmed and assign more tasks to your team members every time you see them. Trust me – if all you do is talk about work when engaging your team members and always give them more to do they will start avoiding you like the plague.
Your team members are already busy
If you are an effective leader, then your team members are already busy. They are getting stuff done and making it happen. When you keep adding more work to their tall pile of tasks, it will discourage them. Even your most motivated team members are probably not looking for more to do all the time. Sure – it is important that you keep moving your team forward, focused on achieving high-priority tasks. But, be careful when it comes to delegating work. Do it with some forethought. And for heaven’s sake don’t become a leader who is known for tasking everyone all the time.
Many leaders fall into this horrible trap
I have watched so many leaders fall into this horrible trap over the years. Whenever they open their mouth it is work, work, and more work. Their entire focus is on the task at hand, not the people who will actually get it done. Many times this behavior is driven by a specific personality. One is “the commander“. Also known as an ENTJ Myers-Briggs personality type. If you are not sure if that is you – take the test. It is a worthwhile investment of your time. Another popular personality type test is DISC. Also a great tool for learning about yourself. If you score really high in D, and/or I then you may be more likely to fall into this trap.
Some conversations should not focus on work
How do you avoid this horrible mistake? Make sure some of your conversations with your team members do not focus on work. For many leaders this is easy. They know how to talk about other topics when engaging their team members. It is a natural part of their communication style. But, for others it is tough. They do not know how to talk about anything other than work and end up tasking their team in every engagement. Don’t be that kind of leader. Ask your team members about their families, their hobbies, and their interests. Anything but work every now and then. They will appreciate it, and these topics let you learn about your team members.
One caveat – you may have no other choice in some situations
Some days you will get handed a difficult task with a tight timeline. Or your boss will tell you to put out a fire that requires immediate attention. In these scenarios, it is perfectly appropriate for a leader to focus solely on the task at hand. Your team will understand if some days it is all work and no play. Just make sure that is not every day. If your team is in firefighter mode all the time, then you have bigger problems.
There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full.
Henry Kissinger
ATW! is designed to make you a better leader
I hope you join me on this journey to raise the next generation of leaders. The world is in desperate need of more great leaders. Women and men who lead with confidence, clarity, and creativity. It’s time to become the leader that your world needs. Let’s go All The Way!