In all of the management,
coaching, advice you get as a professional, you never know what will stick and
be meaningful.
One simple comment that I
received when I started consulting was "it is better to ask for
forgiveness rather than permission."
This piece of advice was given to me by a partner at a consultancy that I was
working for when I was full of ideas that I felt would help the practice. After my second or third
pitch for permission, this manager told me "just go do it, don't ask for permission, and then come back to me when you've proven your ideas work." I think he may have followed up with "but make
sure to ask for permission, when you need to."
And
therein lies the risk. This type of
advice is not so much a rule but more of a way of operating that needs to be
examined each time you want to venture out on a limb, professionally.
It was this advice that I
thought of when I read a great post on leadership from Harvard Business
Review. What I love about the post
is it's a simple action-focused commentary on leadership...
"In order to engage in
a conversation about leadership, you have to assume you have no power — that
you aren't "in charge" of anything and that you can't sanction those
who are unwilling to do your bidding. If, given this starting point, you can
mobilize others and accomplish amazing things, then you're a leader. If you
can't, well then, you're a bureaucrat."
I appreciate the clean,
crisp starting point and felt that the forgiveness vs. permission advice I'd
received aligns with another point in the piece:
"They are bushwhackers
— they clear the trail for new ideas and initiatives by chopping away at the
undergrowth of bureaucracy. They're more committed to doing the right thing
than to doing things right."
It's not that taking risks
and breaking rules for the sake of breaking rules is good, it's more of a do
what's right in the name of progress and use good judgment that has served me well.
Finally, the post lists out
a number of types or personas that represent forms leadership - a novel take on
how to present leadership qualities. Take a moment to read the
entire post and feel free to comment.
Sri Agasthiyandi About
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