STOP THINKING FOR YOUR TEAM: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP THROUGH EMPOWERMENT

Leaders must stop thinking for your team and start empowering them to succeed. If you constantly step in to solve problems, two things may be happening: either you haven’t clearly defined what success looks like, or you have a team member who isn’t capable—or willing—to deliver. Like a great coach, your role is to set expectations, provide training, and then let your team use their own talents to achieve results.

Don’t Think for Your Team

If you find yourself thinking for a team member, it’s time to make a change—and maybe upgrade your team.

What do I mean by thinking for people?

Are you doing their job?

Are you having to explain every single step to the goal line?

You never see an NFL coach say to a player,

“When you catch the ball on the forty, run to the 39… then the 38… then the 37…”

No.

He says, “Get to the end zone.”

The player knows the rules.

He’s been coached. Equipped. Trained.

That’s your job. Be the coach.

Set clear expectations.

Equip your team to meet them.

Paint done. Explain what success looks like.

Then get out of the way.

If you constantly have to step in, do the work, or explain the next move—one of two things is happening:

1. You’re not clearly defining what “done” looks like.

2. You have someone who doesn’t want to deliver the result—or can’t.

You’re the leader.

Your job is to bring out the best in others—

Not to do the task so they look like the best.

Stop thinking for your team.

Give them room to use their own brains and talents.

As Steve Jobs said,

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

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Intersecting life, luxury, and leadership,

CHRIS ADAMS

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