“Whenever I could not get the results I wanted, I swallowed my temper and turned inward to see if I was part of the problem. I asked myself three questions: Did I clearly articulate the goals? Did I give people enough time and resources to accomplish the task? Did I give them enough training? I discovered that 90 percent of the time, I was at least as much a part of the problem as my people were.”
Retired U.S. Navy Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Thanks to Julie Chance of Action-Strategies-By-Design for sharing her insights.
The leaders I work with often express frustration that their team members do not take enough initiative, make poor decisions (or fail to make decisions at all), are focused on the wrong priorities, deliver sub-par work products, and look to them as the leader to solve all the problems.
The irony is that as leaders our approach and behaviors are often discouraging the very outcomes we say we want. We are stifling initiative, discouraging decision making, and causing confusion around priorities. How are we doing this? And more importantly how do we avoid these pitfalls?
Here are four of the most common ways I see leaders get in the way of what they say they want and what you can do instead:
Failing to set clear expectations: According to a Gallup Poll, almost 50% of U.S. employees need clarification about their work expectations. There are a variety of reasons leaders fail to set expectations. Sometimes the leader lacks clarity themselves. Often hiring managers aren’t upfront about expectations during interviews because they feel desperate to hire someone. And all too frequently we simply assume that expectations are obvious.
To make sure expectations are clearly set and understood, it is necessary to communicate and document the expectations, provide the reasons behind the expectations and hold people accountable to the expectations. You cannot put expectations on autopilot.
Neglecting to provide the “Why”: If you want people to take initiative and make good decisions, they need to see the big picture – they need to know where you are going and why. Not having the big picture is like following GPS directions without looking at the overall route. Without the big picture of where you are headed all team members can do is follow step-by-step directions.
It is also important that you as a leader take the time to explain the “why” behind the decisions you make and how the decision fits in with the big picture.
Having too many or shifting priorities: If you provide your team with a list of 10, 15 or even 20 priorities when as humans we only have the capacity to focus on two or three priorities at a time, you almost guarantee a lack of alignment around the most important priorities. Add to this constantly shifting priorities that are a reality in many organizations and you end up with total confusion over what’s most important.
Give your team two to three priorities to focus on at a time. If priorities shift – and they will – acknowledge the shift and provide the reason for the change.
Not giving team members space to take initiative: All too often I hear leaders proclaim they want their team members to take initiative and then prescribe every detail of the actions team members are to take. Or they say they want to hear their team members’ ideas, but only ask for them after outlining their own ideas.
If you want your team to share ideas and take initiative it is critical that you refrain from sharing your ideas until after your team members have shared theirs. Then find an idea or two of theirs and give them the space to try and succeed (or fail).
Next time you become frustrated because your team is not performing the way you want, look in the mirror and ask yourself the three questions Captain Abrashoff asked himself:
- Did I clearly articulate the goals?
- Did I give people enough time and resources to accomplish the task?
- Did I give them enough training?
Julie Chance, Founder of Action-Strategies-By-Design is passionate about helping create workplace cultures where everyone – leaders, teams, individual contributors, and organizations – thrive. Her vision is a work environment where every single person can contribute at their full potential and where people are working together toward a common purpose to achieve better results with greater ease and flow. If you would like to learn more subscribe to her blog, follow Julie on LinkedIn, or visit the Action-Strategies-By-Design website.