Burns Law

The more subordinates feel that they are capable and efficient at work, the less they want to order and direct when completing their work.

Proposed by: James Mac Gregor Burns (James Mac Gregor Burns, 1918), a pioneer in the study of American political leadership, published a large number of biographies and comments on American leaders, and had an in-depth understanding of the American political leadership system the study. He was elected president of the American Political Association and president of the International Political Psychology Association. As a representative work of Burns’ leadership studies, "Leader" is regarded as a classic by the leadership academia. The distinction between transactional leadership and transformational leadership proposed in the book is still heatedly discussed.

Story: Capable Yanghu
An individual in the State of Lu is called Yang Hu. He often said: "If the monarch is sage, the minister will be devoted to allegiance and dare not have two hearts;

If the monarch is mediocre, the courtiers will entertain themselves perfunctorily, and even have ghosts in their hearts. On the surface, they are only promises, but secretly deceive the monarch for personal gain. "

Yanghu's remarks offended King Lu, and Yanghu was deported. He ran to the country of Qi, and the king of Qi was not interested in him, and he fled to the country of Zhao. The king of Zhao appreciated his talent very much and worshiped him as a prime minister.

Jinchen persuaded King Zhao: "I heard that Yang Hu is very selfish, how can we use this kind of person to manage government affairs?"

King Zhao replied: "Yanghu may seek opportunities for personal gains, but I will watch carefully to prevent him from doing so. As long as I have the power not to be usurped by courtiers, how can he get what he wants?"

King Zhao controlled Yanghu to a certain extent, and eventually made Zhao Guo agitated and dominated the princes.

Management enlightenment: The more a person who is good at using his own hands and feet, the less he likes others to point fingers at him.

Application examples
"The more subordinates feel that they are capable and efficient at work, the less they want to order and direct when they complete their work," says American historian J.M. Burns. "Burnes's Law" analyzes the relationship between ability, work efficiency and independence, as well as the dialectical relationship between managed subordinates and managed superiors.

The most successful boss is the boss who doesn’t have to point fingers at his subordinates; the best subordinates are the ones who don’t want to order and direct. This is a high-level relationship between the superiors and the superiors in modern enterprises. In this kind of relationship between superiors and subordinates without excessive calls, a lot of work and things are done by tacit understanding, self-consciousness, and initiative.

How to measure a senior corporate manager? In addition to the level of corporate executives, half of it depends on whether the subordinates he leads can have good independence, just as "Burnes's Law" said-"Subordinates feel more capable and efficient in their work. The less you want to order and direct when you finish your work." Independent subordinates do not need to be bothered by their boss when completing their work. They are confident and have high work efficiency. More importantly, they have the ability to consciously and actively complete various tasks.

Many sports competitions have entered the white-hot final stage. Under the eyes of everyone, whoever wins or loses will make the audience sweat, and the coaches of both sides will be heartbeat. At critical moments, coaches often announce a timeout, cheer up their athletes and instill some strategic and tactical tips in time, and give some tips and tricks on the spot. Unfortunately, if the overall quality of the athletes is poor, the indoctrination is often still ineffective. No matter how the coach gives instructions, the game will end in defeat. On the contrary, many athletes do not need the coach’s timeout at the critical moment when they fail and win the game. With confidence and tenacity, they make the final sprint and can always reverse the situation and win the game. . We can imagine how important the self-confidence and independence of athletes are in sports competitions, and not all athletes who require coaches to direct the situation can reverse the situation and win. The important person’s advice, although it is not against the rules, just proves the defect of its ability. Similarly, when our corporate people encounter some difficulties, they are not good enough and worrisome when they need their superiors to direct and order.

There is a saying: The more you are a person who is good at using his hands and feet, the less he likes others to point fingers at him. As a student, people really need the education and help of teachers. To become a qualified business person or employee in society, they should break away from the hands and care of their teachers and fly by themselves. It is obviously immature to require someone to watch and direct behind him, and it is not up to the standard for graduation.

Generally speaking, subordinates are required to obey the management and guidance of the boss, and obey the orders of the boss as the highest sacred duty, but this does not mean that the boss is required to teach you everywhere. In fact, it is impossible for the boss to direct everything. you. "Burnes's Law" better reveals the inverse relationship between the independence of a corporate person and the ability to work: the less subordinates that require the boss to command, the higher their ability.

Therefore, when a business manager encounters those honest subordinates who seem to be obedient in their daily work, don't think about how high your leadership level is, and don't think about how loyal subordinates you have met, and don't worry about it. . In the face of honest subordinates, some corporate managers even develop some commanding addictions. They will make irresponsible remarks to their subordinates at every turn. They are driven by a desire for power, confused by the vanity of being a good teacher, and obsessed with a kind of obsession. In the pedantic chiefs' bad habits. As everyone knows, when you are commanding your head and being self-righteous, the inertia and incompetence of your subordinates are also growing. As these "commands" continue to be carried out frequently, the boss will be overwhelmed with fatigue, causing the entire organization system to suffer from serious illnesses and become weak and even paralyzed.

Employees, stepping out of school, stepping into society, and becoming a newcomer in the actual production and operation of the company, means the transformation from education and training to independence, and the sublimation from toddlers to freedom of flying. With working age With the growth, the wings should become harder and harder, and the required instruction and command will decrease day by day. Only by gradually forming an independent personality and possessing comprehensive qualities can it adapt to the employment of modern enterprises.

Many facts have proved the correctness of "Burnes's Law"-"The more subordinates feel capable and efficient at work, the less they want to order and direct when they complete their work.". From the perspective of a leading cadre themselves, they are a self-confident example of "feeling that they are capable and efficient". It is precisely because of this that they can work in the leadership position and can direct others without their instructions. .

The desire for power in the hands of executives can sometimes be a fetter and obstacle. Many managers unknowingly control their subordinates too much and dictate too much, which makes things counterproductive. If you are really worried about some subordinates, then go back to the fire to practice, send to the training center to recharge, and wait until you are qualified to graduate.

As a screw in a position, you must be able to complete the job responsibilities independently, and you don’t need to teach you how to do it. Except for some particularly difficult things, you need to ask your boss to deal with it through greater team strength. Difficulties must be overcome and dealt with by oneself. This is the minimum quality of a qualified business person and the standard of "Burnes's Law". Our employees should be strict with themselves in accordance with the standards of "Burnes's Law". If you don’t meet this standard, you should leave your post honestly for the time being, train well, and start from scratch. Learn how to be independent, how to become a self-conscious and independent person who can understand the intentions of the boss. After all, modern enterprise companies are not a place to dig wells and sharpen their knives when they are thirsty. They are a "battlefield" where every company member is required to exert their strength to compete with other companies. Otherwise, the company will not be competitive and may be ruthlessly eliminated by the market at any time.