"Members of Generation Y are less adept at handling ambiguity, Jason Seiden writes. That doesn't just make them more difficult to manage, he suggests, it may require a complete rethinking of what leadership means. Companies will have to readjust their organizational charts to put decision-making power in the hands of the few people on staff who can handle it, while career paths will become more structured, he argues."
Read more at SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Workforce (10/5)
This article introduction from today's SmartBrief on Leadership reminded me of a recent conversation.
A group of people were assembled to talk about the resolution of a potentially serious business problem. When I inquired as to the basis for this particular assemblage of people from throughout the organization, I was informed by the convener that the situation at hand required the skills of a group of thinkers as opposed to doers.
Thinkers versus doers - what does that mean? Seiden talks about the problem in terms of discomfort with ambiguity. Doers like clear direction with defined rewards and penalties. They struggle with uncertainty and ambiguity.
Decision making - deciding what to do - requires thinkers. The decision makers must develop a direction and an action plan for moving forward despite rampant ambiguity and uncertainty. No leader ever has all of the facts or other information they would like to have before making a major decision.
Once a strategic decision has been made, doers become critical to its successful execution.
Organizations need both thinkers and doers - we just need to have the right people in the right roles.
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