IF your work involves managing people, there will always be a fine balance between managing and leading. One of the critical areas to consider is how much power you should delegate to your team and how much you should retain. We're talking about empowerment, which is an important part of leadership.
Empowerment is also one of the best forms of training for young leaders. Imagine one day you're called in by your superior to take on a new project. He then starts telling you what to do first, and continues on, describing what you need to do next in detail. By the end of the meeting, your note book is filled with what he has told you to do.
Now recall a time when another superior asked you to complete a task. She explained her vision to you but stopped short of giving you any detailed instructions. All she said was: "I'd love to see this completed. I trust your ability. That's why we hired you for this work. If you have any problems, don't hesitate to see me. Otherwise, I'll assume you're on top of your game."
Which boss would you want to work for? Can you feel the difference between the two styles? Which one inspires you to think more creatively?
GROW AND DEVELOP
The styles couldn't be more different. The first boss expects you to do the job "my way or no way". The second boss trusts your ability to do the job your way.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out which boss would be more pleasant to work with. If you're like me, I'd feel honoured if someone fully trusts my ability to get the job done.
I'd also be happier if that person doesn't check on me every single hour. Work would be much more pleasant, energising and inspiring. Along the way, the employee will stretch his or her ability and that's how we grow in our career.
Now let's take a step back and analyse our approach with our team. As the manager, we're responsible for the successful completion of all tasks. Are we the type who'd just churn out instruction after instruction? Or do we empower our team to do the job their way as long as it gets done?
In our rush to get things done, we tend to give detailed and thorough instructions. It's much easier and faster than letting people do it their way. Let's take organising an event as an example. Do you give specific instructions or just let your team members figure it out by themselves?
EMPOWERING OUR PEOPLE
Most managers prefer to give specific instructions. They'd just tell their team which area to start first. They also show what tools to use and where to go next.
But here comes the catch. If the team fails to follow the instructions to the letter, the manager starts to get angry. When instructions aren't followed, even unintentionally, managers start screaming and in no time at all, the atmosphere becomes tense and everyone's frustrated. Does that sound familiar?
Compare that with smarter managers who empower their teams. They let their staff complete the tasks following a minimum set of orders. They offer a broad guideline but allow the persons in charge to figure them out as best they can.
For example, in preparing for an event, they'd ask the team to suggest the next steps by themselves. All they share is the objective of the event. They don't expect the perfect solution. The more important agenda is to empower the team members to think for themselves.
We should reapply this tip. If anything goes wrong, and things will go wrong, don't be too angry. It's a learning opportunity for them. Explain gently what went wrong and suggest to them to change their approach next time. Learn from that mistake. Somehow, we'll also find ourselves to be more patient with them.
Zaid Mohamad coaches and trains others to bring out their best while enjoying a peaceful, purposeful life. Reach him at [email protected].
