Summary

The article discusses the pitfalls of giving vague directives like "just handle it," using an anecdote where an employee resorted to sifting through garbage to solve a problem due to a lack of clear guidance.

Abstract

The author recounts an incident where an engineer, following the directive to "just handle it," was caught going through a supplier's trash to obtain information, leading to the engineer's removal from the facility. This incident highlighted the leader's responsibility in providing clear, ethical instructions. The article emphasizes that leaders must avoid ambiguous commands, as they can lead to unintended and potentially harmful actions. It suggests that "just handle it" can imply a disregard for methods, trade-offs, quality, and the well-being of team members. Instead, leaders should communicate effectively, acknowledge the importance of 'how' things are done, and provide a strategy that aligns with their vision.

Opinions

The author believes that leaders should not use the phrase "just handle it" because it can lead to unethical or inappropriate problem-solving methods.
It is the leader's responsibility to ensure that their directives do not result in compromised quality or standards.
The author suggests that a leader who uses "just handle it" may lack a clear strategy and is potentially avoiding their leadership responsibilities.
The article conveys that leaders must be aware of the trade-offs and costs associated with their directives and should communicate these clearly to their team.
It is emphasized that leaders should care about the impact of their orders on their team members and not just the end result.
The author advocates for leaders to take an active interest in the execution of tasks, ensuring that the means to achieve goals are as important as the goals themselves.
The article concludes that leaders should strive to be clear and strategic in their communication to avoid misunderstandings and potential ethical breaches, such as the one illustrated in the anecdote.

The Problem with Telling People to Just Handle It

Or How My Employee Ended Up Going Through Other Peoples’ Garbage

“Hi Jake. I wanted to let you know. We removed one of your employees from our facility. We found him going through our garbage.”

“Wait, what?”

Not a call that you want to receive from one of your suppliers. And hopefully not one that occurs too frequently for most people.

Yet it happened. One of my engineers had to be escorted out of a supplier’s facility. For going through their garbage.

The worst part? It was largely my fault.

Unexpected Results? Still the Leader’s Fault.

We were having issues with one of our suppliers. It was obvious they were struggling. They refused to give us a straight answer. Meanwhile critical deliveries were looming closer and our options were getting shorter by the day.

So I told an engineer to get over there. Figure out what’s going on. I don’t care how you do it — just handle it.

Dangerous words.

Because he did handle it. Just not in a way that I would have liked. Or supported. Or thought a perfectly sane person would have behaved.

In his defense, he did try some other methods first. But when they wouldn’t share information with him, he figured that maybe the trash would yield some worthwhile details. So he channeled his inner Sherlock Holmes and sought out to crack the case. And perhaps took some actions that the rest of us would have considered not a great idea.

He didn’t understand why I was upset. After all, I did say I didn’t care how he did it.

I wouldn’t have thought that I needed to say that going through their trash was outside the bounds of a reasonable expectation. Yet here we are.

Turns out, I did care. And it turns out that leading through a means of “I don’t care, just handle it,” is a really poor way to lead.

The Unintended Message of Just Handle It

“Leadership is a way of thinking, a way of acting, and most importantly, a way of communicating.” — Simon Sinek

It’s tempting to tell people to just handle it. After all, we can’t make every decision all the time. But what is often meant as an opportunity for initiative takes on many different meanings, few of them good.

Just handle it means I don’t care how it gets done, I just want it done. And once we lose interest in the how, we open ourselves up to all sorts of problems.

Just handle it means I’m unwilling to acknowledge the trade-offs. And once we stop recognizing the trade-offs, we stop recognizing the cost. Which is a dangerous situation.

Just handle it means that quality takes a backseat to done. It means that standards are lowered to whatever point is necessary. A trend that rarely self-corrects for the next time.

Just handle it means that the ends justify the means. But also that I’ve got deniability. Yet every real leader knows there’s no such thing as deniability.

Just handle it says that while I may have a vision, I don’t have any strategy. And as Lee Bolman warns, “a vision without a strategy remains an illusion.”

Just handle it means I don’t care what the impact is on you. I’ve already decided that whatever it is, it isn’t worth my consideration.

Just handle it means that if you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone who can.

Just handle it is a way for leaders to avoid the responsibility of actually leading. And our people deserve better than this.

The alternative is to take an interest. To realize that the what without the how is meaningless. The alternative is to recognize the trade-offs and clarify priorities. The alternative is to be a leader.

The next time you’re tempted to tell someone to just handle it, make sure the message you’re communicating is the one that you want to come across.

And generally just make sure your people know that going through others’ trash is not a condoned activity.

Thanks, as always, for reading. If you enjoyed this or have any suggestions, please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. And if you found this helpful, I’d appreciate if you could clap it up👏 and help me share with more people. Cheers!