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Career Pointers Archives Developing a coaching leadership style Practically every mid-level manager I’ve ever coached at some point goes into a rant about how “my staff is useless; they can’t think their way out of a paper bag” and “they’re in my office every other minute with yet another problem I have to solve for them” and “I can’t get anything done; all my time is spent dealing with day-to-day issues my staff brings to me”. I listen patiently, and as the rant winds down, I’ll comment: “You do realize, I hope, that this is a situation entirely of your own making?” Usually, a stunned silence follows, and then a “what do you mean?” I explain that this is one of the sneakiest traps a new manager can fall into - driven by a compulsion to “have all the answers” because that’s what we think our bosses expect, we’re sucked into a dynamic that inadvertently rewards people for not thinking for themselves. We make it so easy to come to us with their problems large and small—because we solve the problem—that we teach our staff to stop making operational decisions. When you think about it, though, they are right there in the weeds, on the front lines; they probably have a much better idea of what should be done to fix a problem than you do! All they need is confirmation or reassurance that they’re doing the right thing. That you won’t penalize them for taking the initiative, or think they’ve overstepped their authority. Next time, ask what they’re thinking. Encourage your staff to tell you what their idea is, and help them think it through by asking a few pointed questions. You’ll be surprised how quickly they get the message: that you value their opinion, that you trust their judgement, and that you are happy to delegate some decision-making authority to them. The benefit to you: an empowered staff, and more time to get things done yourself! Last updated on Feb 24, 2009 at 04:05 PM
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