“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 romanticize the notions of autonomy and trust and what those notions will lead to. And yet, it’s often the most romantic who end up continuing to be in the way. Requiring meetings. Requiring sign offs. Instituting limits on authority. Asking for status reports. Double checking.

We love the idea of autonomy and trust but in reality we share responsibility for outcomes. They screw it up and it’s on us too. And when the romantic notion squares off with an accountability meeting from some boss you never hear from unless there’s a problem… Well, let’s just say the romance ends.

So, how can we be romantic and realistic? What if instead of getting out of way, we just walked alongside?

This is the essence of the coaching leader.

We don’t get out of way and let our project managers flail on hard projects. We walk alongside and keep the conversation going. What’s working? What are the obstacles? Where are the opportunities?

It’s a different mindset. People want leaders to be around, active, and engaged. Not in the way, but joining us along the way.