BILL WATKINS ON WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK MANAGEMENT FOR THEIR OPINION
Use this to remind you that people who provide answers go further and get more done than those who ask questions.
Bill Watkins (b. 1953), an American business executive and former CEO of Seagate Technology, speaking to Fortune Magazine in November 2006, put on record a truism that every manager should know and live by:
You never ask board members what they think. You tell them what you are going to do.
Bill Watkins
What Bill Watkins says applies to any manager or group that you are reporting to. If you ask people what they think, they will feel obliged to come up with something, no matter how daft, and then you will have to evaluate it and report back, explaining (nicely) why it’s the worst idea since the Red Socks sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.
WHAT TO DO
- Before you present a written or verbal report to your manager/board, make sure that you have done your homework and that you have considered and evaluated all the main issues and possible courses of action. Do this and you will know more about the subject under consideration than anyone else in the room.
- As the de facto expert on the issues under discussion, you are in the best position to make an informed recommendation on how to proceed. If you don’t do this, then your manager/board will discuss the issues from their less well-informed positions and you’ll end up having to evaluate or, worse, implement one of the half-baked solutions they come up with. Yes, I accept that, occasionally, they will come up with a better solution – but not very often in my experience or that of Bill Watkins.
- Structure your verbal or written report in a logical order that leads the person through the issues step by step. As you proceed, very briefly, discuss those solutions that you have considered and rejected. This will stop people raising them later.
- Don’t spring any surprises on your manager/board. From the introduction onwards, your report should be building towards your final recommendation, funnelling the person’s thinking in one direction only. Do this right and, when you finally make your recommendation, it will appear, to all present, the only possible way to proceed.
- Writing reports/making a pitch are skills and, like any other, can be learned and improved with practice (see The Little Book of Big Management Questions for advice on writing and presentations).
- There are definitely brownie points to be earned by presenting solutions rather than questions or requests for their views. Make good, clear, firm recommendations and people will see you as a confident, professional problem solver who knows how to get things done. These are the attributes you need to be known for if you are to progress to the very top.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
- Do I ask for people’s views or present solutions when reporting issues to my boss/board?
- Would I benefit from getting some professional advice about how to make my written and personal presentations more effective?