If you can avoid only one trap, make sure it is the trap of solving problems for your team.
Here is why.
The more time you spend solving problems for your team, the less time you will have to focus on strategic work and the less empowered your team will feel.
Great leaders know that problems are opportunities to coach their team. Instead of solving the problem or giving an answer, they guide and share insights. They ask the right questions to inspire the team to come up with solutions. While this will take more time initially, great leaders know that this time investment will empower the team, and eventually save the leader more time.
“The moment you think you are too busy to coach your team is the moment you are too busy not to coach your team.”
Good managers on the other hand want to save time at the moment by solving the problem immediately, not realizing that they will be solving problems forever. Why? Because when they make it a habit to solve the problems as they arise, team members will feel less confident in their ability to solve the problem and will keep coming back to the manger seeking solutions. This is short-sightedness. It disempowers the team, costs the manager time, and keeps him/her in that cycle.
The more time you spend solving problems for your team, the less time you will have to focus on strategic work and the less empowered your team will feel.
Avoid this trap!
Next time your team members come to you with a problem, refrain from providing an answer. Ask great questions, provide guidance, and share insights. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes :)
Ps - Interested in learning how to coach your team for performance and transforming the way you lead? Check out my course Embark Leadership Development Program.
Comments