Time and time again I see examples of wastage in the workplace because people fail to acknowledge their knowledge, instead falling into habits of manager-subordinate behaviour.
On Friday afternoon whilst waiting for a train, I overheard a man complaining to his friend about the lack of understanding his boss had. It’s not the first time I’ve heard or even created a conversation like this.
”So he asked me to go through the project plan and identify the key points for which we require training. I suggested getting the team involved and he said, ‘No, do it yourself and come back to me in two hours’.”
“I went through the list and saw him two hours later. Guess what?! He asked me for the WBS1, took out a highlighter and circled seven items, none of which I had. Once I had the list, I was able to fill in the details required.”
“He just doesn’t understand and has no idea of how to manage people.
There are several points of note:
- The man asked to have the team involved, recognising he didn’t have all the knowledge that the team had.
- His boss/manager knew all along what he wanted but in the interests of delegating and giving somebody else to work, failed to acknowledge he already had an answer in his head
- Two hours was wasted trying to second-guess an answer. That hits the bottom line and morale as well. This is the direct value of applying knowledge.
- And finally, be conscious of where you are speaking and who may listening. Some things you may not want shared.
Footnotes
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“Work Breakdown Structure”: Literally the list of work that needed to be done. ↩