Don't be bashful when communicating guidelines. If you are bashful about guidelines they morph into guidance. They are two very different things!
~ Andrew Owen, Executive Vice President, Head of Invest Products and Operations,
Wells Fargo Funds Management Group
This past weekend my daughter and I had plenty of opportunity to discuss and reinforce the rules of the house. One such rule involves a tree. There is a tree on our neighbors lawn that has the same effect on kids as candy in the candy store. It stares at them with its tempting branches and beautiful leaves. Its just low enough that kids can reach out and grab its limbs without giving a single thought about asking permission first. Its also just high enough for a kid to break every bone in their body with one miscalculated step. My wife and I originally told our daughter that we didn't think it was a good idea for her to climb the tree. Then we moved toward saying it would not make us happy if she climbed the tree. Finally, SHE IS NOT TO CLIMB THE TREE! PERIOD! Every time we found our daughter in the tree she said she knew we didn't like her in there but couldn't come up with a reason why she did it anyway. I suspect that had I listened to Mr. Owens words regarding guidance and guidelines, the tree issue would have been settled a long time ago. Of course, this same lesson applies to our own lives both personally and professionally as well. While my boss doesn't seem to struggle with the difference between guidance and guidelines, I admit that there's opportunity for my own improvement in this area when it comes to communicating with my team (and children).
My challenge for you this week is to commit to making it clear when you communicating guidelines and/or simply offering guidance. There is probably no greater disappointment than when a team doesn't achieve a goal and the reason it wasn't accomplished was because of the leaders poor communication. On a personal level, I suppose this is what happens every January 1st when we are making our New Year's resolutions. On a professional level, I would suspect this is also what happens when a team misses deadlines. As Mr. Owen correctly points out, there is a distinct difference between the two. Leaders take the time to make sure they understand them both and accept the consequences when you are not clear on either.
Alonzo Kelly
President Milwaukee
Urban League Young Professionals
~ Andrew Owen, Executive Vice President, Head of Invest Products and Operations,
Wells Fargo Funds Management Group
This past weekend my daughter and I had plenty of opportunity to discuss and reinforce the rules of the house. One such rule involves a tree. There is a tree on our neighbors lawn that has the same effect on kids as candy in the candy store. It stares at them with its tempting branches and beautiful leaves. Its just low enough that kids can reach out and grab its limbs without giving a single thought about asking permission first. Its also just high enough for a kid to break every bone in their body with one miscalculated step. My wife and I originally told our daughter that we didn't think it was a good idea for her to climb the tree. Then we moved toward saying it would not make us happy if she climbed the tree. Finally, SHE IS NOT TO CLIMB THE TREE! PERIOD! Every time we found our daughter in the tree she said she knew we didn't like her in there but couldn't come up with a reason why she did it anyway. I suspect that had I listened to Mr. Owens words regarding guidance and guidelines, the tree issue would have been settled a long time ago. Of course, this same lesson applies to our own lives both personally and professionally as well. While my boss doesn't seem to struggle with the difference between guidance and guidelines, I admit that there's opportunity for my own improvement in this area when it comes to communicating with my team (and children).
My challenge for you this week is to commit to making it clear when you communicating guidelines and/or simply offering guidance. There is probably no greater disappointment than when a team doesn't achieve a goal and the reason it wasn't accomplished was because of the leaders poor communication. On a personal level, I suppose this is what happens every January 1st when we are making our New Year's resolutions. On a professional level, I would suspect this is also what happens when a team misses deadlines. As Mr. Owen correctly points out, there is a distinct difference between the two. Leaders take the time to make sure they understand them both and accept the consequences when you are not clear on either.
Alonzo Kelly
President Milwaukee
Urban League Young Professionals
