Are you tired of carrying the weight of your team? Hereโs how to empower them to step up.
A common dilemma Iโve heard from leaders is โ โMy team is not stepping up. My plate is full. ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐?โ
I recommend for you start observing and assessing if you fall into these patterns.
๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง #๐: โ๐๐ฎ๐ & ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ค๐โ โ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ
Most of the time this happens when you become the hub and your team members are the spoke. All communication lines go through you. Only for you to relay it back to the relevant team member or stakeholder.
Next time a team member asks you to engage a stakeholder or talk to another team member, try to sit on your hands. Encourage your team members to engage with each other directly.
If necessary, introduce the team to your stakeholder. Get an agreement that any of your team members can represent moving forward.
๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง #๐: โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ-๐๐ฌ-๐ก๐๐ซ๐จโ โ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ
Take an audit on the decisions that are being made in the team. If the majority of them are coming from youโฆ observe if your team members are always vying for your attention to get approvals. Even on the smallest of things!
Try identifying the common tasks in the team and agree on which ones you can delegate authority on. One exercise Iโd recommend is Jurgen Appeloโs Management 3.0 Delegation Poker.
๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง #๐: โ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ซโ โ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ข๐ญ
Do you have tasks that you have been doing for more than 2 years? When things go pear-shaped, no one else in the team knows what to do. Even though it has become easy for you, it can still be inconvenient to get those calls while on holiday. You have made yourself a single point of failure.
Train other team members to do these tasks. Ask them to document while you are showing them the ropes. This way, you have enabled someone else to step-up while at the same time, you have created a manual for new joiners.
Let go of the โeasy tasksโ and give space for your team members to grow. Elevate yourself by identifying areas where you can provide more value โ ex. building better relationships with key stakeholders.
Start observing and assessing your own behaviour. Take action today to empower your team to reach their full potential!
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