Are you a Travel Agent or Tour Guide Manager?

If you are like me, all you want to do is “see everything” once you get to a new country or city. I just want to go out and explore every inch of the city and get a feel for the people, the food, and the culture. On my last trip to Venice I ended up getting lost and seeing the same tall buildings for 2 straight hours as I kept going in circles through the buildings that divide the canals. At times in my career I’ve been doing the same thing wandering aimlessly throughout my day to day tasks.  Often Ken Blanchard tells us that “Leadership is a partnership” and that we must work together to accomplish tasks. If you have ever had a bad manager or a bad travel agent, you know how important this collaboration is.
Take a look at these descriptions to see what kind of manager fits your description:
Travel Agent: He has never done the job before that he is asking you to do, and probably will never end up doing it himself. He has tons of tips of ways to accomplish the task but has never even stepped onto the job site. He doesn’t speak the business language at all, but tries to act like he does, while continuously mispronouncing business terminology. He also keeps repeating the word “synergy” because he thinks it sounds great but has no idea what it means. He also thinks SCRUM is a type of Norwegian cheese spread.
Tour Guide: Knows the job really well and has extensive experience in the field. He speaks the business language fluently and often teaches these classes at night to new comers. He knows the job site in and out and can tell you the best places to meet new people and who to learn from. He’s often seen walking around the office and getting acquainted with the culture and knows the real players in the organization. He guides his direct reports every day and helps them navigate the business while providing them with the best information possible. He doesn’t accept tips at the end of the day because he genuinely loves to do his work.
If you are a Travel Agent manager, don’t feel bad. Get out there, explore the sites, and get familiar with the “culture”. Sip the wine, mingle, and help your direct reports through their workplace experience. Really do your best to partner with them and guide them through their role and tasks.
The workplace needs more leaders who can partner with their direct reports for success. No travel agents needed.
Gus is a Learning and Performance Professional at the Ken Blanchard Companies and is currently finishing his PhD in I/O Psychology. He can be reached at gus.jaramillo@kenblanchard.com