Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Hands Off Approach to Grooming New Leaders | Luckett&Farley

Ed speaking to the 2011-12 Leadership Institute class.

As President and CEO of Luckett & Farley, one of the biggest challenges I face is finding the sweet spot when it comes to mentoring our future leaders. It?s a fine line?between being too distant and being just??hands off? enough to allow our rising stars to gain valuable experience in dealing with the myriad of difficulties that our profession offers.

In many instances, employees come to me wanting an answer to a problem or for me to step into a situation they may be having with a co-worker, vendor or client. When that happens, I rarely accept the ?upstream delegation.? Rather, I try to coach them in taking the next step(s). Some of the younger employee-owners aren?t used to this approach and have remarked that I?m not being helpful enough. What I believe some of our Gen Y-ers might be expecting is the ?mom and dad? response of swooping in and making everything better. That kind of response helps no one. So yes, I?m hands off.

Does this cause problems? You bet. But more importantly, it serves as long term learning experiences that give our rising stars increasing levels of confidence and helps tee-up problem-solving skills for the next time they?re needed.

I think leadership development can, at times, be an extremely messy process. And it?s certainly not a linear progression. How is a strict hands-on approach going to prepare our future leaders?? As my kids might remark: fail!

Many of the younger generation seem to initially want problem-solvers to rescue them. I?d rather coach them to a solution. If Plans A, B and C all fail then I suppose I?d directly step in, but I haven?t had to yet. That?s a testament to the leadership culture and our rising stars at Luckett & Farley.

About The Author


Related Posts

Correcting Mistakes, the Luckett & Farley Way

When something doesn't go as planned, how you handle it can define your entire practice.

Mistakes are a part of business. Any architectural, engineering or interior design firm that?hasn?t?suffered from a costly mistake?probably?doesn?t?have any employees!? Sure,?we?ve?all been in that situation ? myself included.? Unfortunately, the most effective way to have a lesson permanently seared?into your brain is to make a big hairy mistake and have the initiative to shoot your [more...]

We?re Creating Our Own Monsters! ? The Luckett & Farley Employer of Choice Continuum

If the stars you're grooming aren't routinely receiving offers from your biggest competitors, then you're just not doing it right!

I often jokingly described the Luckett & Farley Employer of Choice Continuum as simultaneously, the best and the worst thing about our 160 year old A/E firm. ?It?s the?best?because our commitment to providing the best environment, culture and reward structure helps us attract and retain the industry?s top talent. Over the last 24 months alone [more...]

Joint Commission: Rules and Regulations for Sharps Containers

When researching the Joint Commission, there was a reoccurring question I noticed on the discussion pages: What? are the requirements for securing sharps containers? ?This? is obviously an important issue that occurs in multiple patient treatment locations in a hospital,? physician office and outpatient treatment areas.? The following is a list of specific container locations [more...]

What is Code?

Understanding Mechanical and Energy Performance Code

So how do owners guarantee that the design firm they hired provides designs for buildings and building systems that meet the minimum requirements defined by law?? It starts with code compliance. The International Mechanical Code (IMC) has ?code? in the title, so it?s obviously a code, correct? Not quite. Unless the IMC has been adopted [more...]

Design-Building at the Speed of X-Cubed

Why the Design-Build delivery approach just makes sense.

We have a saying here at Luckett & Farley: ?we deliver at the speed of x-cubed?with quality driving the deliverable.? The term ?Fast-Paced Project? doesn?t raises eye-brows?or serve as an excuse for mediocrity?we call this ?normal.? As was alluded in a previous post, Luckett & Farley utilizes technology to deliver infrastructure solutions to our clients. [more...]

Getting a Cut Above the Competition

How Luckett & Farley Automotive Facility Design Made the Difference

Have you ever considered making drastic improvements to your facility? I?m talking about the kind of improvements that update facility infrastructure, improve efficiency, and provide greater flexibility in order to grow and adapt to the ever-changing economy of your market. Recently Ford Motor Company?s Louisville Assembly Plant started full production on the new Ford Escape. [more...]

Riddle me this, riddle me that: How?d you get it to look like that?

How laser survey solved a geometric nightmare.

What do you call a project involving a steam chamber, a web of structural steel, confined spaces, and zero?time? Some might say that?s a nightmare; we call it an opportunity to implement new solutions. Luckett & Farley?s structural engineers were approached by its ?raw-materials-producer? client to assist with installing new platforms and ladders for maintenance [more...]

To Intern or Not To Intern?

In fall 2012, I will start my third year at Ball State University, making this summer an ideal time to grab a sought after internship. Before becoming Luckett & Farley?s newest Marketing Intern, my pre-conceived ideas of an internship were grim, at best. I have always been told that internships are solely to get your [more...]

Source: http://www.luckett-farley.com/the-hands-off-approach-to-grooming-new-leaders/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-hands-off-approach-to-grooming-new-leaders

mario balotelli jenny mccarthy espn3 kevin youkilis Tropical Storm Debby legend of korra lebron james

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.