About Bosses and Leaders
I grew up with my father’s advice “Always know what you ask other people to do for you, so you don’t get fooled by anyone.” That was the late 1970’s early 80s, and in some ways, as it happens with all those old sayings, it holds some truth.
Early this year, we had to replace a breaker at my house. Because of labor shortages and all, the replacement cost us a staggering $400. Weeks later, we had to replace another breaker, and another 400 dollars flew out of the window. But I could follow the electrician while he did the job this time. I learned that replacing the breaker was easy and, most of all, safe. That was why I did not try to replace it the second time. After all, I didn’t want a hospital bill or, worst, only to save some bucks.
My father’s proverb held water there and in many everyday situations. We all heard the story about someone, but in most cases, women, going to a mechanic shop and coming back with a huge bill. Primarily for unnecessary or work unrelated to the problem they first report. Yes, that speaks a lot about the honesty of the service provider. Yet, they don’t do that with clients they believe will call their BS out of the get-go. Again, those that know the job that needs to be done.
I’m not saying 400 dollars are too much or too little to replace a breaker. There is a good story about an oil tanker stuck in the middle of the ocean. The company flew a mechanic by helicopter to see if he could fix the ship. On arrival, he asked to be taken to the engine room. He asked the crew to turn the engine on, so he could listen to it. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, he got a hammer from his toolbox. He walked to the driveshaft, hit it three times, and asked the crew to turn it on again. The engine started on the first try. He packed his hammer, got a piece of paper, and invoiced the captain for $500,000. The captain was furious; $ 500,000 to hit the hammer three times. To which the mechanic replied. “It’s not about how many times I hit the hammer, but about knowing where to hit it.”
Yes, knowledge has a cost; learning how to perform any task well takes time. The $400 I had to pay was not for the time the electrician spent replacing the breaker, less than ten minutes. But for the time he spent learning his craft. That is why we all charge what we charge for our work. It’s the time it took us to become good at what we do.
Get Nauro Rezende Jr’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Yet there is another reason one should know about what they are asking someone else to do. That has nothing to do with being taken advantage of.
In Skin in the Game, the author Nassim Nicholas Taleb discusses how the presence or absence of skin in the game changes how we and those around us behave. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, having skin in the game means risking something if things don’t go as planned. In some ways, that is why we like underdog stories, and start-up founders have legions of fans. They risk it all to get what they want.
In ancient times, high-ranked military leaders led their troops in battle. That was true for kings, emperors, and feudal lords. But also in mesoamerican, pacific, and Asian cultures. In a true lead-by-example fashion, a leader was expected to be ready to fight and die with their troops. It was the honorable thing to do. The captain will sink with the ship type of mentality.
Unfortunately, only a few examples of that mentality persist. It is expected that the captain of a plane or a ship will stay and help in an emergency. Curious enough, that tradition is also preserved in most collective sports. As such, if the captain of a soccer team is injured, another player will take his place and responsibility. Yet, in the military, some of that was lost as well. High-ranked generals are no longer expected to be on the battlefield. Maybe if they were, the world would see fewer wars.
And that brings us back to bosses and leaders, and in some ways, to my father’s proverb. In today’s work environment, it’s common to have a team led by professional bosses. People that are only skilled in telling other people what to do. That is not a bad thing per se; after all, being a good boss is not easy. Still, a boss may not hold water in times of crisis. When one needs to ask a team to go above and beyond, work long hours, and do the impossible. One needs to be a leader, and a leader has skin in the game.
Being a generalist, I’m not the best at all the tasks my team performs. One can’t master so many different skills truly. And I would be stupid if I only had hired people that a worst than me in those areas. Yet, being reasonably skilled in those fields allows me to understand my team’s challenges. Also, it makes me helpful. Way more than just direct people, I can help to get things done. That is my skin-in-the-game moment.
And that is also where my father’s saying falls short. Knowing what you ask someone to do is not only about not being taken advantage of. To me, it has more to do if I can help my team do what they need to do. It allows me to ask for the impossible, knowing we will succeed or fail together. That is where one separates bosses from leaders.
To conclude, in a truly Nassin style; Leaders have skin in the game. Bosses don’t.
