When Methods Matter
Standard processes exist for a reason.
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We’ve talked previously about Methods and Outcomes, specifically that you should focus on deciding one or the other - not both at once. Conflating methods and outcomes is one of the most common causes of decision paralysis.
As leaders, we generally focus on outcomes. We set goals for the team, and hire great people that can figure out how to achieve them. If we try to tell our teams their goals and how they need to achieve them, we’re micro-managing everyone.
However, there are times that focusing on methods is important! Just because we trust our teams to do great work doesn’t mean every possible approach is acceptable.
A great example is using AI for software development. AI has become the best way to write code, and has made software developers 10x more productive. However, there are still engineers that refuse to use AI for development. Should you let engineers choose if they use AI or not?
No.
Using modern tools is part of modern jobs. You would not let a salesperson refuse to use Zoom or Salesforce, and you wouldn’t let your CFO run your accounting on paper with a pencil. Modern software engineering uses AI.
Similarly, should you let a salesperson sell your product using a process and pitch different from anyone else?
Maybe!
If they get better results maybe their methods are better and everyone should adopt them.
Methods matter when they affect the productivity of the business. Processes exist because if everyone follows the same process you can improve the company by improving the process. If everyone does things differently, it’s hard to improve overall performance.
Your team should have leeway to explore new methods, but those are experiments. If they provide benefits they should become the new method! If they don’t, they should be discarded and reverted to the normal process. That sales person who uses a different pitch? If it doesn’t work they need to stop.
This might seem like micro-managing, and you certainly can take it too far. How you balance the freedom to explore new methods and enforce standard processes depends on your team, your business and the outcomes you are trying to achieve.
So, continue to focus on outcomes and give your team the ability to explore new methods. But don’t let everyone work in a different way, because that method is a path to madness.
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