In India, we have a profession called 'Watchmen'. This was a practice started by the British of appointing tall, burly men who fitted with an officious-looking uniform at various squares and parts of Indian villages, towns and cities.
This practice has been around for several hundred years and continues to this day.
The watchmen with their imposing presence and official look ensured compliance of the public to laid down rules and laws in addition to inhibiting mischief. The watchmen's job was to simply watch and report to a senior what happened enabling the officer to take necessary action.
In essence, the watchman acts as a scarecrow and surveillance recorder and this has become a big problem. So-called 'Security' has become ineffective because merely watching offers little or no results.
This culture has pervaded our management environment. Let me elaborate.
When I visit an organisation and am introduced to team members, I always ask them 'What are you responsible for?'
Surprisingly the vast majority of them will reply, "I look after ......". This usually implies the person is not responsible for any output or result. He or she simply watches events and reports to a senior, particularly when things go wrong to pin responsibility on something or someone else. This is not good management.
People should be held accountable for agreed results not merely 'looking'. If you want good results ensure less looking and more doing.
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Ref: G0959
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