When you empower your team, they’ll spend less time asking you how to do things and more time getting the job done. This is because they feel at liberty to make decisions, problem solve, and take initiative. Your goal ought to be to make every member of your team know exactly what is expected of them, when deadlines are, and how their work contributes to the overall mission of the organization. An empowered team is a productive team. Sounds simple enough, right? So what’s stopping you as a leader to empower your team?
Overcoming leadership obstacles takes knowledge, self-confidence, and determination.
Lack of know-how, confidence, and time/energy are the three biggest obstacles when it comes to leadership. As a leader, you may be unsure how to empower your teammates to do things for themselves. You may be fearful your employees won’t respond well or cooperate to your guidance. Or you may be too busy/stressed by other aspects of your business. Another common obstacle is fear. You may be fearful to empower someone else because they may not do things exactly the way you would (or they may do things incorrectly!) Regardless of what is holding you back, you must prepare and equip yourself before you empower others. This is the key to leading confidently and effectively.
Of course, if you are taking the proper course of action and you are still coming up against a brick wall, consider that your employees may be hindering their own growth and progress. There may be conflict between team members or apathy/laziness. If this is this the case, you may need to bring in backup to empower your team. Give them the tools they need to make their own decisions and take the necessary steps to accomplish the tasks they’ve been given. Good leadership means teaching how and then letting go.