Writing for BusinessWeek.com, Principal Scientist at Microsoft Research Bill Buxton expounds the view that management culture verges on an obsession with training which prevents us from seeing what people can really do.
He explains: "Historically speaking... we seem to spend longer and longer preparing ourselves to 'do it', whatever 'it' might be. Of course, a lifetime of learning is a great thing. But I am not sure that being completely prepared is actually all it's cracked up to be."
In fact, Buxton says that being fully prepared before starting might even be a sign of avoidance or procrastination.
He adds: "If the opportunity you are pursuing actually passes you by while you are carefully preparing to be ready to handle it, your 'risk avoidance' may turn out to be far riskier than leaping into the fray and trusting your existing (collective) skills."
Buxton believes people have a tendency to set the bar too low and expect too little of ourselves, our employees and our organisations. "In doing so," he says, "we cheat ourselves out of the delight of seeing what we and those around us can really do."
According to Buxton, there are four questions that should not go unanswered. These are:
1. How aware do you think most people are of their true capabilities?
2. How much awareness do you have of your real potential?
3. Could your management or colleagues help you realise that your potential is far beyond what you had initially imagined?
4. Is there any greater responsibility for you as a manager than to do the same for your colleagues and employees, and make doing so a cornerstone of the culture of your organisation?
Don't Set the Bar Too Low
Bill Buxton, BusinessWeek.com, 14/12/09
