How to help your team grow

You like to make yourself available to your team.

To help out the team.

To show up for the team. 

To be part of the team.

To be the figurehead.

You think by being in meeting after meeting you're moving things forward quickly.

That you just have to be there for decisions to be made.

And maybe you're a little worried your team might not cope. 

Or may miss something that you would've spotted.

You always like to know what's going on.

But what actually happens?

Your team becomes reliant on you. You become the bottleneck.

Maybe some feel overshadowed by your experience and knowledge.

So they don't speak up and share their ideas. 

They wonder why you always need to be involved.

And they lose time and motivation as they wait for you to tell them what to do. 

Meanwhile, your list of meetings and follow-up meetings grows.

You're interrupted again as further actions are clarified. 

This wasn't what you planned for the day.

Where has that time set aside for strategy disappeared to again this week?

You're tired making so many decisions each day. 

Even on holiday, the questions and decisions don't stop.

You can't switch off. 

What if, instead, you chose to delegate more. To make yourself less available. 

You communicated expectations, and then gave them room to operate.

Made yourself available for check-in and guidance, then provided feedback.

Told your team you're available for them to run things past you.

Instead of thinking they have to run every task through you.  

By making yourself less available, you're sending a message:

That you trust your team to make decisions.

You're encouraging them to take ownership. 

You're showing that you believe in their abilities to do their job. 

And that if they make a mistake, that's all good. Let's learn from it. 

By giving your team more accountability and autonomy they take more responsibility and ownership.

They feel more aligned with, and important in the company's growth.

They're engaged and take pride in their work, instead of just executing on your decisions. 

They come up with ideas you wouldn't have.

They're developing into your new problem-solving leaders. 

A team that gets on with delivering high quality results.

Put yourself in their position. Isn't that what you'd want?

Meanwhile, your time and energy is freed to make decisions on strategy, investment and hiring. 

To focus on your real responsibilities. 

Including responsibilities to your team, but not those of your team.

You become more of a leader, a CEO. 

Instead of a micromanager. 

And you know when your team asks for you, it's something important.

You have a clear head to make an objective, calculated decision.

And maybe, just maybe it means you can relax on holiday this time.

Because your team knows what to do when you're away:

The same thing they do when you're around. 

Because the truth is, as a leader, your team should be able to run and make decisions without you even being there. 

And if it can't, then ask why.

Consider that you might be part of the reason why it can't.

And by making yourself just a little less available to your team, you're more available for what matters.

Have a great day!

Hazel and Luke