The New Business Leader Will Know the Details: Here’s Why
Tomorrow’s business winners will be the ones whose leaders drink up and celebrate *detail* without glossing over it. Their strategies will stand out as the most successful and influential across the organization. The new business leader, not should, but will know the details.
I’ve been watching a lot of Netflix lately. I never did before because I hate the feeling of sitting on the couch. My mind usually races: I could be writing, doing laundry, organizing my studio, walking my very bored dogs or rebuilding the kitchen. (The list in Swipes goes on forever). But I haven’t felt bad about this choice of late because there have been a few *characters* that have filled my head with good ideas to write about. And I’ve found them in unsuspecting places.
I’m totally behind with all the shows, but that’s the point of on-demand content, isn’t it? I will not succumb to any feelings of inadequacy about my timing, cadence, or consumption. I will openly admit that I am only on Episode 3, Season 5 of GOT. (is she really that far behind?) <~ ~> I know this doesn’t make me part of the cool content consumers club, but I’ll live (for now).
One of the old ones and one of those *characters* is the new lawyer that Steven Avery (convicted murderer) switched to on season 2 of Making a Murderer. If you haven’t been following this crazy story, it’s quite sad and horrific. Essentially, his new attorney, Kathleen Zellner, allows you to see this case in a completely new light. Which brings me to my thought bubble ~> Are Some Leaders Losing the Strategy Plot? Because Kathleen’s Not.
Detail is Part of Every Winning Strategy
Season 2 boils down to her approach for understanding all the tiny details herself so that as a leader, her case strategy is what I call: “brain-backed.” She doesn’t work alone. She has a team. She’s not a micro-manager. She’s a leader that understands the power of knowing the small details. Her brain is backed by minutia, which can set a good leader apart (if you’re looking for ways to improve your leadership stamina).
Now you might think, it’s a court case, someone’s life behind bars, a victim’s justice is at stake, of course, she would examine the details. But as you watch her attention to detail, her passion for detail, her insistence of detail, her quest to know the detail, AS THE LEADER, you can see how this provides her with the ability to devise a way more powerful strategy than the previous (very competent) attorneys tried to accomplish in season 1.
Being a busy leader, I’m sure getting to the details on all your initiatives sounds exhausting. But I am strongly recommending that you learn to love the detail and get excited about how knowing the detail makes you a better leader. And, like Kathleen, you don’t have to *detail* alone. Nor should you.
It’s Always About the People
According to the author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery,
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the endless sea.”
Antoine was referring to organizational vision, and the foundation employees stand on when they sign-up to do the job.
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren G. Bennis
The new business leader will understand why the mission-first mindset is crucial to a company’s success. They will facilitate employees to connect with the vision and heritage of the company: the detail of the company. The rich storied detail about the *why* of any company will cultivate belonging, purpose, and the holy grail of organizational identity in the workplace — meaning.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
(she’s quoting again) <~ ~> hey, I like good quotes.
We all dream of doing something larger than ourselves, but we need the detail to keep us focused. In many companies, leaders forget to revisit the details of the business vision, mission, and strategy — and leave employee generalists in their wake. But companies such as John Deere, Apple, HP, The Walt Disney Company, and IBM remind us that the real value is the connection between the attitude of leadership and the people. Mentor the power of ‘knowing the detail,’ and your teams will dive into them like a cool river on every project.
Finding Lessons In Design Leaders
Design leaders have grown up in the details, and their experiences as young designers or creatives were all about the super small details. We call it invisible design.
It’s hard to pinpoint why something is designed well; an ever-converting customer journey, a delightfully easy experience, a beautiful space that evokes comfort and joy, an interaction that is seamless and so good it goes unnoticed. This only happens because the smallest of details, the per-pixel details, have been considered.
Designers in disciplines such as UX, UI, XD, IxD, etc., learn to craft solutions (not just visual designs) with clients early on in their careers through discovering the details. That’s why we all have Discovery phases. Collaborating with clients and client customers in their realm is part of the solution-finding formula. Without a clear understanding of people and their environment, there would be no foundation for growth or sound strategies around solutions.
A designer’s career trajectory teaches us that leaders can operate with a more significant impact by working from the bottom-up rather than from the top-down. For example, after the discovery phase of the project is completed (research), a UX designer conducts stakeholder interviews and meets the end-user in their element to collect valuable feedback. Here, communication takes place without distortion; it’s not lost somewhere in the chain of command.
Detail Improves Communication
As everyone embraces detail, the nuance of communication will naturally improve. Excellent communication is a sign of respect and appreciation, a requirement for positive human interaction. When you and your team grow, expect the following benefits associated with showing gratitude.
The new business leader will not strive to be the greatest; they will make more informed decisions and communicate effectively to make those around them feel great. They will translate all of the meaningful details into messages that keep people engaged across the business, from sales to product to human resources.
Think about the company Patagonia, founded by Yvon Chouinard and led by Rose Marcario. Every employee shares a purpose — to save the planet, people-and-places-over-profit style. The details around the business’ impact on the planet and why the choice to place people-first, planet-first — sharing those details with the organization — allows for employees to evangelize and strengthen Patagonia’s purpose.
The lesson? Don’t skimp on sharing the detail around your *why* or risk NOT being on the list of those great companies.
“A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
The new business leader doesn’t need to go big to make a difference because they know small is just as powerful. They’ve placed their bets on the cumulative power of the small details. After all, effective leaders organize complex pieces into one cohesive whole, inspire us to bridge the gaps mend differences, and motivate us to do great and be great — alone and all together.
The new business leader will do all of these things and more. When it comes to knowing the details; how this improves your winning strategy and most importantly, brings people together, there isn’t anything a new business leader shouldn’t do.
Now, the real question is, did I describe you? If you’d like to discuss the *details* about the power of *details* ~> don’t just thought bubble me: get in touch.
