John Kotter pointed out in his book, Leading Change, that our nation turned its focus towards developing managers instead of leaders, because that is what we needed as factory workers. This is also an issues we have in the military. There are SNCOs and officers who would rather us toe the line and ‘manage’ our teams. We need to break this mold and learn to develop leaders. We simply can’t expect to have great leaders if we wait until they are SNCOs before we give them leadership opportunities.
We talk about delegating and empowering all of the time. However, we are not really giving any power to anyone. We delegate by telling them what and how to do something. You should never be telling them ‘how’ to do a task unless you are teaching. To truly empower someone, tell them what you are trying to accomplish and let them go.
This is something that should be taught at every tech school and PME. Instead of being taught to be perfect, we need to teach there is a good chance we will make mistakes when we are trying to do something new. When we are performing our jobs and the team is counting on, there is less room for error and pushing the envelop is risky. However, when we are going through the daily motions, we need to be challenging the status quo looking for new ways to solve problems.
I used to try and shield my team from tough tasks. I thought being a good leader was to protect them from being worked too hard. What I learned was that I needed to give them ownership of their abilities and let them shine.
I have noticed this throughout my career. Once I learn my job, I grow to complacency as I go through the motions of my day. I build controls into my day to prevent me from getting too comfortable. To do this, we could take on a challenge we know will push us harder. We can ask someone on the team to hold us accountable by looking over our work. Take a look at your daily routine and see if there are ways to stretch your abilities. If you don’t seek ways to progress, those on your team won’t either.
I love this notion. Our society used to value character and I think it is something we should do once again. Character is something that is formed by doing the right things over and over again. There are no hacks or shortcuts, There is no get-rich quick scheme to being a person of character. We have to do the right things and respect others…can’t imagine anything worth more to society.
The best leaders can take the most complex issues and simplify into terms that everyone can relate to. When faced with an issue, look at what the impacts of NOT solving it are and then paint that vision for your team. They will be able to solve a well defined problem if you give them the chance.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this quote. I can see how an idea could incite action, but without action words are useless. Thoughts?
We talk a lot about empowering and delegating; however, when the person makes a mistake, we are prone to step in and take over. Empowering another is giving them power to control that thing. When a mistake is made, coach, mentor, and hold them accountable. Don’t take the thing from them…they’ll never learn that way.
