Thought of the Day 02.11.09

This morning, my wife gave the boys haircuts, a process they hate to varying degrees. Her solution for their natural fidgetiness is to offer them a small reward if they sit still. In this case, she promised them a piece of the gingerbread houses they made last week.

When he was done, Ethan immediately wanted his payment, so I grabbed the roof piece and handed it to him. Well, this just was not acceptable. He was upset because he hadn’t gotten to pick for himself. So I apologized and put the piece back on roughly as it had been before, and I offered him the house. He pondered momentarily before picking the exact piece I had given him before, which made me chuckle.

See, this is basic human nature. When someone else tries to make a decision for us, we protest, but if we are allowed to decide for ourselves we are very happy, even if the end result is no different. Effective leadership, then, is often a matter of letting subordinates choose, especially among options all of which are acceptable to you.