Alex Hillman Writes Here - Latest Comments in Doing vs. Enabling Doers

Re: Doing vs. Enabling Doers

alexknowshtml — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:18:07 -0000

Todd, you make an excellent point. This technique seems to be early-stage preparation for making sure whatever project you have has the ability to have a life beyond your involvement. You don't need an uncomfortable "handoff" (as I've experienced many) when everyone's always felt empowered enough to step into the "mentor" role themselves if necessary.

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone.

Re: Doing vs. Enabling Doers

Todd Sundsted — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:28:17 -0000

Alex, I'm not going to add any value to the discussion of doers and doer-enablers except to say that the group I dislike are the doer-managers--the people who keep the doers inside the lines and in their pens.

For my own benefit, I've framed my experience this way: mentor vs. manager. There are times when I am the guy who is calling the shots. Maybe because I have the most experience or because I have the vision or whatever... This isn't the case in every project I'm part of (the book, for example, is an even split) but when it is the case, I try to frame myself up as a mentor rather than a manager.

Specifically, I take an active role in ensuring that what I am doing is in some way passed on to the rest of the team--even if all I have is the vision. Because it's "active" it becomes another kind of doing.

I also seek out opportunities to work with people who are willing to take the same mentoring attitude with me. So life becomes a braid in which I move in and out of these roles at different times. Sometimes doing and receiving, sometimes doer-enabling and giving.

As long as there is "doing" ;-)

Todd

Re: Doing vs. Enabling Doers

Jeremy Gimbel — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:40:38 -0000

This is definitely a battle we all face. Finding the appropriate balance is key, though.

I have come to the 20% done syndrome myself at times, but usually that 20% is where the most innovation occurs.

It's definitely OK to hand over the keys (or maybe, a duplicate set of keys, while still maintaining the originals).

Don't be afraid to enable. The results may not be yours alone, but they could conquer the world no less.