there's a book written for business managers about leadership the concepts of which i think carry over to m/s very well. its unfortunate that only kink books are ever recommended for reading because the principles are the same. one of the more interesting concepts the author presents is "leadership is a service". if people could avoid being triggered by the word service and their biases as to what it is or isnt - there's a lot to be learned.
one of the more interesting illustrations in the book is about this company. they kept the parts for their equipment in a locked cage and staff had to stand in line to request a part (the implemented STRICT CONTROL). a new ceo came in and did away with the locked cage. without changing materials or suppliers etc. the company saw substantially increased profit. why?
by removing the cage, minor repairs were done sooner. they made it easier for the staff to do the job. because of this the big costly repairs were decreased. the reliability of the equipment was increased - they had more up time! more up time = more production + less repair costs = increased profits.
on an emotional level - the employees felt trusted and empowered to do their job. there's an exponential payoff to building someone UP instead of tearing them down. people who feel appreciated will usually do MORE.
management did not change their role. they were still the bosses and still drove the decisions. they set the goals and direction of the company. yet they reduced their level of control and got more results than they ever expected they could.
taking charge vs taking over
sometimes the best way to control things is to NOT
