As employees (I can almost remember being one) we were focused on the elements of our job that involved the least risk taking. Not many of us are prepared to stick our heads above the parapet. As managers, we emphasise compliance, create procedures to try and control people. Invent organisational charts that not only mean sod all, but tell people who they are supposed to talk to. We pinch our peoples ideas, we reinforce the silos we have evolved even in small businesses and try and measure performance based on a system that focuses on extrinsic motivation rather than intrinsic motivation.

Then we complain like mad because our staff are not showing initiative, we have to make all the decisions for fear of mistakes. Teams don’t integrate, people only perform what is required and we’ve systemised, de sensitized employees so they don’t feel anymore. We couldn’t have frustrated them more if we had tried by honing in on the wrong things.

Concentrate on letting your people express themselves fully, allow them the freedom to take risk and make mistakes. Build cross functional teams to solve problems and remove silos. Facilitate rather than control. Measure the things that really matter to that person like being valued, working on meaningful projects and making a big bloomin’ difference to their work, their customers or colleagues. You can’t control the best people only influence their ability to develop some of your most important initiatives.