Here is an excerpt from a great manager interviewed as part of the research for First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. His words here are typical of what they found most great managers to be saying:
Interviewer: Tell us a couple of the ideas that have helped you over the years.
Manager: Well…I suppose the first would be, pick the right people. If you do, it makes everything that much easier.
And once you’ve picked them, trust them. . . . If you expect the best of people, they’ll give you the best. I’ve rarely been let down. And when someone has let me down, I don’t think it is right to punish those who haven’t by creating some new rule or policy.
People often say: “Are you sure that it’s such a good idea to trust employees by default? Won’t they let you down?” The answer lies in what this manager said: You have to pick the right people. And once you do, trust them because you get what you expect.
There will be some times when people let you down, but it won’t be as much as you think. And when they do, it’s not right to create a stricter set of rules that hinders the 95% of the people that haven’t.