Watchmaker or Beekeeper, which approach you take managing your business makes a big difference.
Low morale, low profits, lack of staff engagement, high turnover, rampant gossip – all can be attributed to a company being led by either a Watchmaker or a Beekeeper – care to guess which one is the culprit? If you guessed Watchmaker, you’re right. Why?
A Watchmaker, as referred to in James Fischer’s book, Navigating the Growth Curve, is a person who wants things that are predictable, something they can control. They want to run their business like a precision machine. They believe that to be effective, a machine must be controlled by its operators. This is the overarching purpose of management.
A Beekeeper understands that their business is a living intelligent thing and if allowed, it will come up with far more ideas and solutions than they ever could. The beekeepers business will continually self-organize around and through its problems and challenges. They capitalize upon the intelligence of their staff by asking for their staff’s input.
If you have been a Watchmaker, may be its time to become a Beekeeper. Not sure of the steps to take? We can help.