A Message to Garcia is a 125-year-old article that has stood the test of time. It is considered as one of the most widely printed articles ever. In a past note, I wrote of how this article reflects a value held dear by many leaders. For leaders, a cherished competency in team members is initiative. A Message to Garcia is a business leader’s lament on how the absence of initiative in others becomes a burden to bear for managers and other doers. Should you be interested you can access the original text of the article and a preamble to it here.
Yes, initiative is the pulse of productivity. Of those that display initiative, we’re more likely to say that these are go-getters, self-starters, and people who generally get things done. Achievers admire initiative. Leaders love to see it in those around them. “It is not book learning young men need, nor instruction about this or that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies, do the thing.” Elbert Hubbard writes in A Message to Garcia.
A Message to Garcia does a great job of voicing initiative as a value. As much as I love the message in A Message to Garcia, I’ve come to slowly see that it has a limiting factor to it. It’s about a beleaguered boss belly-aching that others around him won’t work as hard or seek to surmount struggles with the same urgency and fortitude as him. “And this incapacity for independent action, this moral stupidity, this infirmity of the will, this unwillingness to cheerfully catch old and lift, are the things that put pure socialism so far into the future. “if man will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all.” Elbert Hubbard writes in A Message to Garcia.
The story holds business owners and leaders as morally superior to those around them. It treats the workers as deficient in a way that defines them as the problem. It creates a sentiment of separation between leaders and followers. The suggestion is that initiative is one of those “je ne sais quoi” traits that we seek to identify or stumble across. Someone either has it or they don’t. It’s a trait of the talented, yes, but not something we can decipher or delineate to develop. It dismisses all together the ways in which leadership can directly influence both the development of initiative as well as the destruction of it in those around them.
If we’re struggling to attract those with initiative to our organization, perhaps, the problem doesn’t lie in the education system, our politics, current culture, or any outside factor. Instead, we may be better looking inside at ourselves. Yes, we agree whole heartedly with the idea that if it is to be, it is up to me. However, what steps are we taking to instill the importance of initiative in others?
What are we doing to not just voice it as a value but to actively encourage others to take the initiative? Is there a reason that team members wait for instruction? Have their ideas been shot down in the past? Have they seen others incur the wrath of leadership for taking what appeared to be initiative? Worse yet, have they themselves borne the brunt of scorn for going out on a limb and trying to proactively create a solution to a problem? Does your work environment not just discourage but disincentivize initiative? Before worrying about instilling initiative take some time to review whether you’re disincentivizing it in some way.
Are there things we can do to inculcate initiative? Can leaders look forward to getting more of what they hold dear by doing their part to instruct, instill, and incent initiative?
Yes, first and foremost, we must internalize initiative and exhibit it through our actions. There’s no stronger advocate for something than our own actions. Are you demonstrating the values you hold dear in your day-to-day actions?
Concurrent with demonstrating initiative is constant communication of it as a core workplace value. We’re seeking to communicate what initiative means and why it’s important. Initiative looks like, as Theodore Roosevelt put it, “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly, I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” It’s a commitment to action in the face of uncertainty. It’s a willingness to step forward and accept accountability for an action. It’s a willingness to own responsibility for an outcome. Initiative is being willing to go first. It’s making a bias for action your best friend forever (Make BFA your BFF).
Initiative is not only good for the organization, but for the individual. Seek to communicate that initiative is interesting and invigorating. As Einstein is said to have observed, “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by an individual who can labor in freedom.” Those in a position to display initiative are liberated. You can’t be chained to the regulations in an employee handbook and create innovate approaches. Initiative as a value is embracing author John Steinbeck’s view, “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.”
Share the article of A Message to Garcia with staff. Make it part of your onboarding process. Help your staff see that you value initiative over rule-following. Communicate your confidence in them that they are there because you believe they are like Rowan.
Initiative is like the difference between artisans and assembly line workers. Artisans have no excuse. They are on their own. They have no choice but to own each step of their process. They own every second of their work time. They craft the entire product. This can be contrasted to groups that coordinate to deliver an outcome where each is but a cog in the wheel. When having a bad day, one can hide behind the hard work of others to carry the team. Assembly line workers don’t have the same level of pride in the outcome as they’re providing a minor, modest contribution whereas artisans care as each step of the process was done by them.
More engagement stems from more involvement. When someone has greater influence over their responsibilities, they will take them seriously. This is the mindset behind the power of autonomy. Initiative arises where autonomy is assigned. People want to take pride in their work. They want to own their piece of your organization’s puzzle. When we choose the task, the technique, the timing, and the team, we’re invested. The more invested we are, the more initiative we’ll exhibit. When we know this is our responsibility, we’ll do what needs to get done. When we’re told to stand down, stay in our lane, and stick to our knitting, we can’t help but retreat, give less of ourselves, and wait for direction. If you want your team to demonstrate initiative, give them opportunity to do so by slowing allocating autonomy.
The final approach that will instill initiative into your corporate culture is to look for it and celebrate it whenever it is found. Look to recognize others for showcasing initiative both formally and informally. Have an initiative award done annually, quarterly, or even monthly. Highlight those that have encountered a unique challenge and stepped forward to provide a solution. Are there customer service issues that were solved satisfactorily by a team member going beyond the checklist? Was something as small as the coffee mugs in the staff room being cleaned done by someone? If these are actions you want to see staff seek to undertake, celebrate those that do them. After all, we get what we incent.
It’s one thing to decry those that don’t deliver what you’re wishing for. However, give them a chance and help your charges see and understand the importance of initiative. After all, as Kevin Kelly writes in Excellent Advice for Living, “When you lead, your real job is to create more leaders, not more followers.” When you seek to instill initiative in others, you’re building more leaders. You’re leading by demonstrating that you have faith in others. You’re confident they can get the Message to Garcia.
