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Chapter I: The Change at Work
Gus was a forty-year-old manager in a large enterprise. He had worked at the company for twelve years and had just been promoted to manager. With the new title, however, came new responsibilities and expectations. The company had recently gone through some changes, and Gus was charged with helping the employees adjust and succeed in their new roles.
At first, Gus wasn’t sure how to approach this. He was a task- oriented manager, and he was used to sticking to the strategies he had employed in the past. But he could see that the same methods weren’t working here. He observed the team around him and noticed that they seemed to be operating in a very different style than before.
The team was more empowered, and everyone was more willing to take initiative and try out new ideas. It seemed like the company had begun to trust the employees more and give them more control. That’s when Gus had a revelation. Perhaps if he gave the staff more control and autonomy, while still holding them accountable for outcomes, he could achieve the best results.
He was so sure of his idea that he decided to try it. He started by giving his team more ownership over their respective tasks and projects. He introduced regular meetings where everyone had a chance to report their progress and voice their ideas. He also held them accountable for their work and supported them when they faced obstacles.
As the weeks went by, Gus noticed that something was
beginning to change. His employees were more motivated and more productive. They were beginning to take initiative and come up with new ideas for how to move the company forward. Gus was pleased with the results of his experiment and knew that he had found a winning strategy.