The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Many of you will probably remember a grandmother who always meant well: "Put on a thicker jacket, it's cold! Otherwise, you'll catch a cold. Drink something more, you will dry out! I'll give you a little more of the roast, meat is important for the muscles!".

Yes, she may have meant well, but it was mostly annoying. She always knew everything better, she thought. It was better, but only in her eyes.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions”, someone once told me, and this banal realization that well-intentioned is actually the complete opposite of good, had not become clear to me in this clarity before. But when I heard this sentence, the scales fell from my eyes: Yes, well-intentioned sometimes even leads to defiant reactions, which can then even finally and intentionally turn something actually good into bad.

What grandmothers, and presumably also grandfathers, and certainly parents, actually want to achieve is that their protégés use good, because sensible, behavioral patterns because they are convinced of the advantages. Of course, this requires knowing the advantages. The reasons, the intention, the goal must be conveyed, not the implementation. Explain why, not how!

You have probably already noticed that this blog post is closely related to this one in terms of content: "The oven is wide enough now". The reason to rehash this topic is that I keep noticing that managers fall into this pattern of giving direct work instructions to an employee on the fly. "In a hurry" is probably the main reason for this supervisor behavior: A more detailed explanation by explaining why is often not possible in a hectic pace, as it is more time-consuming. But it is still necessary!

It is essential to discuss the goals, intentions and changes of course with your employees in a sustainable and regular dialogue. Dominating knowledge and withholding information is deadly. Transparency is king! Misunderstandings are avoided. Employees can best decide for themselves how they can achieve the goal. They are the specialists. An incorrect implementation due to a lack of information is then almost impossible.

And by the way, the employees feel taken seriously and recognized as competent specialists.