We are opening up day 2 of the 2013 LEAD Conference. A nice size crowd for an 8am session with Marty Clark, an author and Leadership Strategist.
Marty is addressing leadership skills of great managers. Since you are not here, tED magazine and tedmag.com will pass them along in this blog.
Concept number one: Don’t manage for the exception. That means do not let the one small exception turn your great idea into no idea. Every workplace has a person or people who will find small details that have minimum impact, but will use that to try to shoot down great ideas. Odds are that exception will not happen anyway. The person who brings up that exception is slowing down progress. Many great plans are not perfect, but they always have positive results.
As you take away the idea of the exception manager, maintain their dignity. Let them know you appreciate the idea, but you are going in another direction.
Here is how you defeat managing to the exception:
Step #1 Pay attention to your radar. You got here because you are smart.
Step #2: You decide for yourself if the exception is a deal breaker. But keep in mind, sometimes the it can be.
Step #3: Stop the bus. Interrupt the momentum of bad thinking. Leaders step in and stop bad conversations.
Step #4: Call it what it is. Tactfully and respectfully, let everyone know that exception will not destroy a great plan.