Leadership Nudge® 390 – Give information, not instruction admin June 15, 2022

Leadership Nudge® 390 – Give information, not instruction

Leaders give information, not instructions, so people with control can make better decisions based on that information. Here’s David with an example.


Professionals pass information. Amateurs give instructions.  

When I see a couple of people trying to park a car, or some volunteer is going to help you park your car, it was always they’re going to do this. Come, come, come, come, stop. It’s a terrible way to do it. You’re like — you don’t know exactly when the stop is going to come. So you don’t know how fast to go.  

Now watch how they park this Embraer at DC International Airport. You see the ground crewman’s closing up slowly showing the pilot as he’s getting closer and pilot’s slowing down gradually and then boom, stop – to the inch – where they need to park this airplane. Professionals give information and let the people with controls do the right thing. Amateurs are the ones who try and give instructions. 

I’m David Marquet. That’s your Leadership Nudge.