How To Empower Your Team
Don’t have time to read the entire post now? Watch this video with the summary.
When I first started to manage people, I made the common mistake – yes, I was part of the statistics – of sheltering my direct reports from pressure and overwork instead of letting them figure out how to prioritize and adjust.
I knew my own capacity and because I was the head of the team, I had this notion that I needed to work harder than everyone else, take the pressure, and protect my group from discomfort.
When I left the team and company and my direct reports had no buffer any longer, they were shocked. There was a painful period of adjustment for them. Live and learn!
The reality is that we learn by consuming information (e.g., training), observing other people (e.g., shadowing, mentoring, etc.), and by putting knowledge into practice (e.g., on the job training).
Unfortunately, because we already have very full plates at work, we tend to take the path of least resistance. When someone comes with a question, it is easier and less time consuming to give them the answers. This method is faster, easier for us, and it assures that the other person will follow our methodology to deliver results.
The other side is that it becomes exceedingly difficult for us to extricate ourselves from the decision-making process. This results in working longer hours, having less room to increase our scope of influence, and lacking diversity of thought.
So how do we shift from telling people what to do to having a confident team with critical thinking skills to bring solutions and value?
Here are three strategies I practice often.
1) Ask questions
Asking questions is an art. I have always been very curious and when I was younger, I asked a lot of questions. It is possible that I was borderline annoying. As I grew in my career, at some point I created the story that asking too many questions could make me look ignorant or nosy instead of curious.
As part of rescuing my true self from under all the layers that have piled on in the last fifteen to twenty years, I have come back to a place of curiosity.
Ask open and thought-provoking questions. Be mindful to not include “advice” or the answer as part of the question – e.g., why don’t you use X to solve this?
Let us imagine the following scenario: Charlie comes to you complaining about Dion, another member of the team. Charlie feels that Dion is criticizing her work and not collaborating. Charlie wants him to stop pointing fingers and start contributing.
In the past, my first reaction was to tell Charlie something like ‘talk to Dion, address his questions, and ask him to discuss with you before sending his ‘constructive feedback.’
Instead, I now ask Charlie: what is another potential interpretation to Dion’s message? How would you like to handle this situation? What is the best use of my influence with Dion? Note: I ask the questions one by one – i.e., I ask the first question, wait for the response, and ask the next question.
These questions would make Charlie stop and reflect. It would create space in her mind to put together an approach to the situation. It would also make her think about how to better use my influence, as the head of the team. Charlie then would be able to handle a future similar situation on her own.
The extra time I spent with her going through the questions will continuously pay off going forward.
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” Eugene Ionesco, Romanian French playwright
2) Create the culture of bringing solutions
There is a fine balance between problem-solving, giving advice, and creating the space to listen without immediately looking for a solution. With time and practice we learn to recognize the difference. Depending on the situation, I may ask the other person what he or she wants – do you want listening and empathy, advice, or brainstorming?
At the same time, we want to create a culture of innovation – i.e., team members bring the problem and at least one proposed solution as part of the conversation.
When someone on the team comes to you with a problem, encourage the person to bring potential solutions as well as the one they think is the most suitable.
To create a safe space for ideas and experimentation, you will listen to each option, recommendation, and rationale. You can ask clarifying questions seeking to understand, from a place of curiosity.
If you do not agree with the proposal, ask what considerations have been examined, and present your argument with facts. Seek to understand the person’s thinking process and to add other factors based on your experience. This knowledge exchange enriches all parties involved with diverse thoughts, points of view, and expertise.
As other challenges present themselves, your team will know that they can bring innovative solutions and you will not shoot them down. Even if you do not agree with their recommendations, they would feel heard and would have new knowledge in the process.
Your investment in time in listening and seeking to understand, will pay off in increased problem-solving skills, innovation, and productivity.
“None of us is as smart as all of us.” Ken Blanchard, American author
3) Do a retrospective
This is one of my favorite types of conversations. I do this throughout projects (I do not wait until the end), relationships, courses, etc. What worked? What didn’t work? Knowing what we know now, what could we have done differently?
Many times, as leaders, we are focused on the deliverable at hand and may not have the space to properly coach or mentor our team.
Similar to creating a culture of bringing solutions, listening is key as well as receiving the information with a growth mindset. After all, your leadership style could be one of the things that didn’t work.
You want to create the space for the team to express their views freely. You may be surprised at the vast knowledge each person brings to the conversation. And in the process, you would have created more trust and incorporated new knowledge.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” Helen Keller, American author
One more thing before you go
Often wanting to do and be all comes from a place of insecurity, judgment, and fear. In our quest to be the best we may damage relationships, hinder professional growth (ours and others’), and become limited in our knowledge.
Empowering others increases innovation, collaboration, ownership and accountability, and proficiency. We all learn by applying knowledge in a practical manner, exercising our critical thinking skills, and by figuring things out. By taking the path of least resistance and providing all the answers and/or doing the task ourselves we are depriving our team members of professional growth and career advancement.
When we empower other people to bring challenges, solutions, ideas, and lessons learned, we create an environment and culture of continuous improvement. We set the tone and our message is clear – ‘in this group we value a growth mindset.’ Remember that if our direct reports grow, we grow. And vice versa.
What do you do to empower your team members? Please, let us know in the comments.
As a leadership coach, I enable talent to achieve bold goals with high standards. My mission is to empower underrepresented women in the financial industry transition from mid to senior level leadership positions using mental fitness to achieve peak performance, peace of mind, and healthier relationships.