TULSA, Okla. — My wife enjoys musicals. Whenever we are in New York, we will catch one, or go when they come through our hometown of Tulsa.
I must admit I have become quite fond of them myself. We generally catch at least three or four a year. Some are great; others not so much. But they are all worth the time.
Her favorite musical is Hamilton. When it comes to town, we may go all four nights it is playing.
Most generally when I come home from work the next day, the soundtrack will be playing throughout the house. I think our dog Woody may also be a fan.
There is a line in a song that strikes home with me every time I hear it, “Be in the room where it happens.” Seven words that have a powerful meaning.
The song is about the meeting between Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. No one really knows what was said since no one else was in the room where it happened. But some huge decisions were made when they met.
The reason we all want to become managers is so that we can be a part of meaningful decisions. Be in the room where they are made. Whether decisions turn out good or bad, we all would like to think we were a part of them.
This statement is true of all levels of supervision or leads. Leaders want to be heard or part of a team. Everyone wants their voice to be heard.
I know there are always managers who will come to meetings and never give any input. They just sit there and listen to others.
A lot of employees are the same way. I have led countless production staff meetings where I am the only one talking and no one seems to give any feedback.
But when you haven’t had a meeting for a while, they are all asking why we haven’t had a meeting. They want to be in the room. To be part of the team.
You read all the time that employees don’t quit for money, they quit their supervisor. There is probably some truth to that.
There are probably a lot of reasons someone leaves a job. I do know shutting managers or employees out of discussions will sure make them start looking around. If they are no longer a part of your room, then they will go find another room to be in.
I think we all strive to make our teams better and keep it together. While I don’t have all the answers to accomplishing that, I do believe that step one is making sure the whole team knows they are in your room.
So that they may feel they were in the room when it happened.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
