Management: Every time your direct report presents an initiative (even informally), ask “Is this your idea?”
If the answer is ‘no’: Get the originator of the idea into the room to discuss directly. (Wow, you are getting to know your employees!)
If the answer is ‘yes’…ask a couple probing questions and see if your direct report starts to squirm. If they cannot explain the idea, they are not the originator.
Stop rewarding supervisors and lower managers for parroting messages up tiers of management. It’s ridiculous. Instead talk to some of your smart employees. Let your direct reports know that they will be rewarded for developing other smart employees….not excepting at a perverse game of ‘telephone’ with adults who should know better but don’t.
And lock-down Powerpoint. The only reason someone is giving you a PowerPoint is because 1) you are (consciously or unconsciously) requesting it 2) it’s not that guys idea, and they need it to remind them of there game of telephone or 3) you don’t trust the capabilities of your employees without that one cool chart or picture that convinces you that they actually did some work.
Originally by @mtc+1aUKY7rR.