Stop Playing Leadership Hide and Seek

When I was a kid I loved to play hide and seek. It was always WAY more fun to be the person hiding than the person seeking, at least in my opinion. My goal was not really to be the last person found during the game; it was to scare the crap out of the kid when they found me, (of course always just after they had walked past so I could swiftly run to ?base?). The seeking part was far less enjoyable. First, I knew I was about to get a taste of my own medicine and second, I was afraid of the ridicule only third graders can dish out if I failed to catch anyone. Somehow I always managed to need to go home about the time I was called on to seek.

As the years passed and I entered the workforce I discovered a new game of hide and seek. This new game involved perceptions, intentions, expectations and information. The ?hiders? carefully guarded these treasures until the right moment and then ?BAM!? unleashed them on you when you were unprepared, letting you stumble into the path of an oncoming organizational bus. The seekers, becoming more and more aware of the game soon developed their own strategy for avoiding these unpleasantries through retribution, bribery or refusing to participate. Ultimately the culture became consumed by this game, robbing the team of trust and draining productivity.

Scott Mabry

http://elumn8.me/2013/03/04/stop-playing-leadership-hide-and-seek/