The band played a few songs and then their conductor faced the audience and said this:
“This next number is going to be un-conducted. That’s not me trying to shirk my job; it’s the ultimate compliment I can pay them. Much like being a parent, if we do our jobs right, we become redundant; we become obsolete. We send our kids out into the big wide world, with hopefully our voice rattling around in their head saying what’s right and what’s wrong. And if a band gets good enough that they can be un-conducted, and they can do it without me, that’s a very good thing.”
Management 101
This, in my opinion, is management at its finest.
Hire your staff. Train them well. Do your best to make sure they know how to do their job, problem solve and play their part in your business. Then… scary as it seems, let them go.
Your job becomes exponentially easier when you allow your staff to be independent; to make decisions and even to make mistakes. You are not shirking your responsiblity- instead, you are allowing your team to move the ball forward.
PS: Micah was chosen to start the un-conducted song with a “1-2-3” count. It was pretty great...
Amy Katz is a technology entrepreneur who has launched, built and sold a range of IT media platforms. As president and CEO of After Nines Inc., she oversees business development, sales and finance for the overall company and ChannelE2E. Read all of her blogs here.
