How to shift your team from “is it this?” 🤔 to “I think it’s this!” 🤗

🤓 As a leader of a business, I have had to hold a lot in my head and have developed a specific way of doing things. My experience has given me great context, subject knowledge, and clarity. It can appear that solutions come naturally and easily to me and my team naturally come to me for my thoughts.  

BUT

❌ This can create conditions where I become the bottleneck to ideas. For some leaders, this gives them a sense of being needed and they love it, but not for me, stagnating progress gives me no joy. It is not only unsustainable but it is just plain bad practice. 

As I grow my team, I want them to feel empowered to offer solutions before asking questions, this means I have to shift my behaviors.
Here are some things I am working on to make that shift:

🤐 Not answering questions immediately and creating space for others to step in even if that means it won’t be immediate. 

🧩 Give context by articulating why I do things (I don’t use that word for “x” reason, or I changed that because “y”).

😎 Literally step out, the one time my team really took over was when I was on a strict holiday, so I often think how can I artificially “be on holiday”

🗳 Be less available; casual WhatsApp chats that turn into work discussions I find draining. I have to conserve my energy and not let it spill into my free time. 

🧘‍♀️ Be more present when I am available.

📣 Communicate the intention so it doesn't catch them off guard. As there will be a behavior change but I am doing it to serve the bigger picture and to empower them to take their space. 

When I first became a manager at 28, leading a team of very experienced individuals, one of the most surprising things was how, despite their experience, they all looked to me for answers. They had been conditioned by their previous managers to wait and be told instead of thinking and proposing. With this lens, I have to remember that my team might be conditioned to a previous manager's approach and my role is to help them shape new behaviors, give them a safe space to take ownership, and make sure I reward and recognize when they do it well.

You got this.