The Thinker Pool: How Information Empowers Your Team
When you think about a boss empowering their team, you might picture handing over authority or responsibility, right?
But what if I told you my brain conjures up pools of fish instead?
Okay, hear me out! Picture your leader with a pool in their brain. This pool has a fish, symbolizing the leader's thoughts and focus.
Every time the leader learns something new about the team's project, it's like adding a splash of water to the pool.
An important update — one more cup is added.
A group decision at a meeting? That's a whole quart of water.
And so it goes, with more and more water (a.k.a. information) filling up the leader's pool throughout the day.
A Key to Empowerment
So what in the world does this have to do with empowerment?
The water in the pool is a metaphor for information. And information is crucial for empowering your team.
As the leader goes through his day, the leader's team is all in their own pools, working hard.
Their water is starting to drain — progress has slowed down because they need some updates to move on.
The leader forgets to update the team, and what happens over time?
Their pool dries up, and they gasp for water, or in this case, information. They are dying on the vine… er, in the pool.
The leader looks around. Oh no!! What is happening to the team??
When the leader finally realizes the mistake and shares all the information at once, it's like dumping a torrent of water into the team's empty pools.
But instead of feeling refreshed, the team feels overwhelmed, maybe even resentful or frustrated. If this happens too often, they might even switch to a competitor’s pool.
THE INFORMATION FOUNTAIN
A leader who holds all the information in the thinker pool does the team no favors.
Effective leaders don't just swim in their own thinker pool, they turn it into a channel for information. Sharing information empowers the team!
So how can you transform your thinker pool into a distribution channel?
🕰️ Cadence: Are you communicating updates in a regular and timely manner?
💬 Formality: Do you have both formal (like emails and meetings) and informal (like chats and water cooler talk) ways to share info?
📧 Formats: Are you using both in-person and digital communication? Remember, relying only on spoken info can leave out those who aren't physically present.
👨👩👧 Audience size: Do your information channels include one-on-one, teams-based communications, and large groups or organization-wide means?
Turn your thinker pool into a fountain. Let the information flow!
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