How broad is your input? Think about it. We are all creatures of habit. We go to work every day, fire up the computer, check the e-mail and review the day’s meeting schedule. We may take a moment to discuss last night’s “game”, favorite TV show or the pending bad weather headed our way with co-workers. These co-workers are typically part of our “tribe”, the group or people we associate with at work. The question is, “how big is your tribe and are you talking to the right people?” The problem is that in today’s world the modern manager can be captive to “his desk” seldom venturing out to talk to other employees or managers. They are limited to their tribe. This results in an unproductive climate. The premise is that the more people you associate with (inside and outside of work) the more balance you have and the better your decisions will be. Broad input leads to increased knowledge. Increased knowledge leads to better decisions or better leadership. I call this the “touch point” concept.
Take a piece of paper and put a big circle in the middle of it with your name on it. Draw additional circles around your circle and fill in the names of people who you talk to on a regular basis. Note: regular basis would be friends and associates you have informal conversations with a minimum of one time per week. Once you have completed all your circles, make notes around each circle on the content of your typical conversations. After you’ve finished look at your “touch point” map and ask yourself three questions. The first: is my tribe big enough? The second: am I getting input from a broad enough range of people? The third: am I taking advantage of my tribe to educate myself about my industry, my company or my associates (who can I draw upon)? If you find that upon completion of your touch point map that you have a large tribe, you are a rare bird. Most people limit their interaction with a small number of people. This is dangerous. So, what do you do about it? Take out your touch point map and list the people you would derive benefit from by having more informal interaction. What do you want from them? The next step is up to you. Go out and get started. Start tomorrow by showing up at their office. It’s ok, make small talk. Get comfortable but eventually get to the point. Don’t be surprised if your associate looks at you with 4 eyes! This is a new event for them. They will be naturally suspicious. What do you want? Trust me, if you begin to show up on a more regular schedule you will be rewarded with new knowledge that will help you in your management and decision making.