Tuesday is Better than Monday

Welcome to the sixty-third edition of “In-Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Story of the Week: "Tuesday is Better than Monday"

I recently had the opportunity to deliver a workshop at a major organization in Greece, during which the General Manager shared an interesting and insightful perspective that left all the participants both fascinated and impressed.

In response to a request to provide clear instructions on Monday morning concerning the Management’s top priorities for the coming week, she addressed her team with the following thought-provoking statement: “I’ll do it on Tuesday, not Monday.” 

Her puzzled team members immediately sought an explanation: “Why Tuesday and not Monday?”

It didn’t take long for the General Manager to reveal that her decision to delay the instructions until Tuesday was intentional. To her, it symbolized a departure from the traditional “top-down” approach to management – in which the company-wide priorities are set solely by those at the top – to an “I-trust-you” approach, through which all teams are given a voice in setting the organization’s priorities (on a Monday) and, if necessary, any fine-tuning can be carried out the following day.

Two major takeaways from this “trust-you and fine-tune” approach are the following:

1. It fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. When managers are given the freedom to shape their work and take decisions, they become more invested in the outcomes.
2. It plays a vital role in leadership development. When managers are allowed to think independently and explore new approaches, this nurtures their problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills and a greater sense of responsibility.

Wishing you a productive week full of trust!

Words of Wisdom

On Leadership

“Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things they did not think possible.” 

Simon Sinek

A Question to Ponder, dear friend.

“To what extend do you allow your team to take initiatives?”