When I was younger, my friend Brian and I used to go fishing a lot. Boy did we look the part. We both had an incredible arsenal of fishing gear: multiple poles, waders, bait catchers, and tackle boxes so big we needed a wagon to carry them. We could have graced the cover of any reputable fishing magazine except for one thing. We never caught any fish!
All around us, people with much less gear always seemed to have more “luck”. It wasn’t about luck. Brian and I had no idea what we were doing.
Many years later, I worked with a guy named Les Artman. Les had a simple time management system. He kept a 3 x 5 index card in his shirt pocket. Every time he needed to do something he wrote it on the index card. (Les had an incredible talent of writing in 4 point font). As he completed a task, he’d cross it off. Once the index card got full, he’d transfer the open tasks to a new one and start over. Les was surrounded by people with sophisticated day planners or electronic information managers (this was pre-Blackberry and iPad) yet he was more productive than anyone I’ve ever met.
Often, when working with a new client on a workshop, they ask what tools I will be providing. My response, in general, is “not many”. This makes a lot of people uncomfortable. They aren’t sure how people can do their jobs better without tools. I assure them that they will get the tools they need but they will get something even more important – an understanding of what they are doing.
I’m not opposed to tools. I do include them, when appropriate, in my workshops and in my consulting work. But tools (and processes) need to be used in context. They help improve performance only if the person using them knows what he or she is doing. Otherwise, most just makes it easier to do the wrong things in a fast, structured, and efficient manner.
This issue of tools versus understanding surfaces most when talking about “soft skills” such as communication, change management, or leading people. Perhaps the stigma of being called “soft skills” drives the need to create tools and templates. Having a tool seems to lend some type of engineering quality to a task.
But the problem is that tools don’t replace thinking or understanding. Developing a communication plan without really understanding and appreciating people’s needs and concerns will probably make your change program more difficult. I’ve seen a lot of leaders do a lot of damage using tools without understanding.
Think of people who are good communicators. They take the time to think about what they want to say (or hear), and determine the best way to do it. They don’t need fancy tools. In fact, many do what they do in a very natural, simple way. Like Les Artman, the best leaders understand what they are doing and adapt tools to their needs.
Understanding and thinking take more time than completing templates but they yield better results. Give your leaders tools and processes to support and facilitate their thinking. Don’t use them to replace thinking.
Brad Kolar is the President of Kolar Associates, a leadership consulting and workforce productivity consulting firm. He can be reached at brad.kolar@kolarassociates.com.
