Most leaders, managers, and administrators do their best to avoid risk and minimize uncertainty. It’s understandable. Taking risk is scary, and it is in our nature as human beings to want to control situations for predictable outcomes.
Sadly, tons of energy and lots of money is wasted organizations on this “controlling” activity. And, very little is ever learned, nor is much accomplished that is worthwhile by playing it safe.
In this context, I’ll share a parable from my personal life as a parent. A few years back, our family was vacationing in Florida before we permanently relocated to the Sunshine State. One morning, my two daughters were swimming in the hotel pool, while my wife and I visited with my wife’s sister in chairs located poolside. At some point, our younger daughter (who was just learning to swim) decided to jettison her life jacket and play on the steps in the shallow end near us. All well and good. Even though she was just learning to swim, Claudia was still under our watchful eye. As parents, my wife and I are inclined to give our children leeway.
Now, Claudia is quite an adventurous little imp, and she is often willing to try stuff, which is a credit to her Montessori pre-schooling. During the vacation, she had been observing several of the other children jumping off the edge of the pool into about three/four feet of water, scrambling up, and doing it again. So, she decided to try it herself—without her life jacket! Thankfully, I was observing the whole plot unfold as my wife and sister-in-law chatted away.
Dunk one, dunk two, dunk three. Third time under I reached over the edge and pulled her up by her armpits. Claudia was no worse for the wear, although she was a bit disoriented. My wife’s and sister in law’s dialogue was nervously interrupted by my swift action.
Some may say: “Your daughter could have drowned.” Highly unlikely. In fact, Claudia learned a valuable lesson. That is when jumping off into the deep end, wear your life jacket! She never made that mistake again. Several years later, Claudia is a strong swimmer, happily jumping into pools (without a life jacket) as often as the opportunity presents itself.
And so it is with management and leadership. Allow those in your charge to try things, experiment, and fail. It’s one of the best ways for them to learn—if not THE best way. Just so long as you maintain a watchful eye, and you’re there for them when they go under for the third time.