I could tell you what to do, or I could ask you what needs to be done next. I could tell you what my opinion is right away, or I could hold back and hear what you have to say first. I could remain silent when I notice that you seem a bit down, or I could check in and see how you are doing. I could tell you “what,” or I could accompany the “what” with the “why.” I could say “I told you so,” or I could choose to remain silent and affirming. One of our jobs as leaders is determining how to engage with our teams. These are the daily, in-the-moment kind of decisions. The kind of decisions that leave others feeling better about themselves, or feeling worse. The kind that make your team feel comfortable and safe, or agitated and fearful. The power is yours. How will you wield it?
With your teams, don’t get out of the way, do this instead
"Get out of the way!" I often hear some version of this sentiment when talking about building a culture to incentivize high performance teams. "You have to find the right people, equip them, and then get out of the way." People who talk about getting out of the way...