Early on as a leader, I took a very hands-on problem-solving and decision-making approach.
This isn’t a bad strategy, but it’s not something I could maintain as our organization grew. I just didn’t have the time to get involved with every issue we faced. I needed to equip my team and allow them to do their own problem-solving.
This represented a complete paradigm shift. When you know how to fix a problem, jumping in to fix it seems like the most efficient thing to do. But if you make all the decisions, you’ll never grow beyond what you are capable of handling yourself.
You need to step back and begin to let your team take the wheel. Instead of jumping in to solve things for them, ask yourself, “Why are they struggling with this problem? What do they need from me? What training have I neglected? What do I need to get into their hands?”
This approach enables you to become a leader of leaders.
Inspired by the book, Understanding New Testament Leadership by Tom Marshall, I’d like to go through ten things we as leaders need to do to equip our teams to succeed. Marshall calls these the Ten Commandments of Leadership. I find that when my team struggles, it’s usually because I’ve slacked off on one of these ten.
Today let’s cover the first two.
- Am I helping my team to see the vision and purpose behind what they’re doing?
When your team loses sight of why they do what they do, they lose the motivation. They stop looking at the “why” and start focusing on all the little problems and annoyances around them. They need you to remind them of the vision and of their purpose within that vision, and they need it often.
Read testimonies. Tell stories. Find ways to help your team see that what they’re doing is important and they will have the motivation they need to make good decisions and solve problems efficiently and effectively.
- Am I giving my team clear goals and objectives?
When an organization is small, roles overlap. Everyone does everything. But if you want to grow, you need to have clear goals and objectives for each team member and each department. By giving them clarity, you empower them to problem solve and brainstorm because they understand what’s expected of them and the boundaries they need to work within.
To become a leader of leaders, you can’t solve every problem or make every decision yourself. You need to empower your team, and step one is to give them the ongoing direction and clarity they need to succeed. Next week we’re going to continue this series, which you can also find at springschurch.com/leadership.
Leon Fontaine is internationally renowned for his ability to equip leaders with skills for success. He is the CEO of Miracle Channel and senior pastor of Springs, a contemporary church for family and career coaching with six campuses across two provinces in Western Canada. Email your comments to [email protected].