Managing People
If You Want to Build a Ship…
Many leaders view their job as creating thrust behind the organization (read: "sense of urgency"). I don't see it that way.
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If You Want to Build a Ship…
My job as a leader is to set a destination, provide tools, smooth as much of the road ahead as possible, and steer when necessary.
Thrust comes from deeper in the organization and is a byproduct of people being excited about where the organization is going. When people yearn to go somewhere, they will find the fastest route.
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.
— Antoine de Saint Exupéry (paraphrased from his book “Citadelle”)
