How can we be expected to create great things if we aren't allowed to think?
Employee: "OK, boss. Pretty big project you outlined, what's the time line?" Boss: "How does Wednesday at 1:15 sound?" Employee: "Aggressive and a bit random. What's driving that deadline?" Boss: "We need to show value and move the needle on this."
Welcome to the wonderful world of "RADs" or Random Ass Deadlines. RADs occur when the project in question has little to no value outside of the ask being accomplished quickly. Or even worse, management hasn't done their work to tie the project to overall objectives and determined possible impact to the business.
I spent eleven years in publishing. I get deadlines and I'm not against deadlines. RADs? That's a management failure. Not only do RADs tend to get tied to projects with little intrinsic value, they also point to a far darker problem: The devaluing of 'thinking time.'
Death Of Thinking Time
Most large corporations struggle with innovation. Why didn't Kodak lead the charge in to digital photography? Did Blockbuster even see the streaming video tidal wave coming? How did these giant corporations get caught flat footed?
Because 'thinking time' was devalued. It was more important to get check lists completed. Status update meetings were prioritized. It was more important to "show" value than to actually "create" value. "Moving the needle" in the above conversation between employee and boss isn't creating value.
At some point, management fell in to a trap where 'thinking time' was idle time or worse, wasted time. We hire really smart people and then assign low value projects that have to be completed our way and...one more insult to injury, here's a RAD. Innovation becomes stagnant. We lose our best people. And the kicker? We have no idea 'why.' Why is innovation stagnant? "Maybe I should assign some stricter deadlines, that'll shake things up!" Why are people leaving "they couldn't keep up with our 'move fast' mentality!" Excuses. Accept that the failure is yours as a manager.
Invest In People. Invest In Thinking.
Great things aren't accomplished by following a task list. New innovations aren't discovered in status update meetings. Your job in management is to foster an environment that embraces experimentation. An environment that is OK with people missing the mark and trying again. An environment that gets the hell out of the way of your best and brightest to let them create!
Hiring someone is an expensive process. From developing the job description, interviewing, prepping for arrival and ramp up time, it's an investment. We put things in job postings like "Identify, develop and execute on new initiatives that drive revenue and strategic value" only to turn around when we on-board people and ask them to follow outdated, unrealistic processes not adapted to their style with non-nonsensical deadlines. When that person 'under performs' or leaves, we blame the person we hired! Sorry "boss," it's your fault. Accept the blame and learn from it.
If we're going to invest in the hiring process...then set your people up for success. Help them understand desired outcomes. Free them up to think. Free them up to process information. Allow them to experiment, fail and learn. Otherwise? Be satisfied with mediocrity because that's what you're setting people up to do. Maybe you should go ahead and put that plan together by tomorrow, 3:05 P.M.
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