In case you’ve missed the news lately, let me tell you what’s been happening.  Every week tells of another CEO failure and another corporate disaster. Every day more people say ‘I lost my job’; ‘I lost my money’. To date the American-dream response has been ‘find another job’; ‘make more money’.

But I’m beginning to hear a different refrain: ‘I wasted a part of my life’. What should you do about that? Reincarnate?

I have seen people angry that their time has been wasted at work.  So angry, in fact, that nothing can sweeten their bitter memories of those they hold responsible, for a loss they cannot recover.

This is a growing problem, one that will ultimately affect your organization, because sooner or later, you will inherit one of these angry people.

In my third decade of working with CEOs I know this much: a good CEO does not waste your time; a bad CEO does not even notice when time is being wasted.

And now I wonder, what sort are you?

Well, here’s one way to find out. At home, do you practice hands-on mothering or open-handed parenting?

Recently I suggested on the radio that the reason why so many adults struggle to succeed is because so many parents shout don’t fall!’ (To read it, click here and scroll down to #225: Fear of Falling Loudly.)

To illustrate, here’s another story. Once upon a time a mother saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. She immediately wanted to help. Without hesitation, she gently opened the cocoon to free the butterfly. But when the butterfly emerged, it fluttered to the ground. It could not fly.

The mother did not realize the importance of the struggle. It is the struggle to escape the cocoon that develops and strengthens the butterfly’s wings enough to enable it to fly. Instead of freeing the butterfly, she condemned it to a life on the ground.

Whenever renowned psychologist Ruth Sanford told this story, she called it "love with an open hand".

Now answer this: At work, do you practice hands-on management or open-handed leadership?

In my experience, hands-on managers focus so much on the ‘what’ that they forget the ‘why’. If you forget the ‘why’, you end up doing stuff that no longer matters. And doing stuff that no longer matters is simply a waste of time.

On the other hand, open-handed leaders have a way of explaining the ‘why’ so that you can develop the 'what'.  And, more importantly, so that you can decide whether you really want to invest your time achieving the ‘why’.

Feedback? If you have time to waste, please tell me ‘why’ you read ‘what’ I wrote - james@nonsenseatwork.com

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© 2008 James Henry McIntosh - All rights reserved