It’s not uncommon for leaders to be bombarded with questions and concerns the minute they walk through their office doors, and have to put out fires throughout the day.
It’s not surprising that many bosses feel like they didn’t get anything accomplished by the time 5pm rolls around, because they were busy heralding their team instead of working on their own to do list.
To transform your team from sheep that blindly wait for your direction into actual leaders themselves, implement the following tips:
Learn How To Delegate
Are these questions all too common to you?
- Is this right?
- What do you think about this?
- How did you say to do this again?
- Can you help me fix this issue?
Although these concerns can be valid, they can also be addressed without the help of the boss most of the time.
The first step in fixing this issue is for you to learn how to delegate.
Delegation is not simply telling your staff what to do, it’s the art of assigning tasks correctly so that your involvement going forward is minimal.
This involves breaking down the details of each project and considering who the best person or people to handle each task are.
It also means focusing on each part of the project and writing down the details as explicitly as possible.
Talking your notes through is helpful to figure out if your employees are on the same page and preventing miscommunication.
The final step in this process means letting your team know that you will be checking in on them regularly, but that they are responsible for figuring out little details and turning to each other for help before coming to you.
This will provide them with the power to make their own decisions and trust themselves.
Hold Employees Accountable
It’s easier to ask questions every step of the way when working on a project that being responsible for its outcome.
The trick to encouraging your team members to be their own leaders is to hold them accountable for doing their own work.
As long as you feel confident that you have trained and provided ample instructions, there is no reason for you to manage your employees when they do their work.
Take a step back and allow them to choose the right path for them.
When people know that they are their own bosses (at least on a certain task), they feel more confident making tough calls, fixing issues and using their creative mind to make it a success.
The more accountability you give to your staff, the more leadership qualities they will learn to take on, such as a goal-driven mindset, planning, creative thinking and prioritising.
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