Want to be a Better Leader? Build Your Trust Muscle!
One of the things that I find challenging is when those in leadership roles attempt to micromanage everything. What I know for sure is that the micromanagement gets in the way of effective leadership AND it comes from a lack of trust. The whole “do it my way” or even “do it this way” mentality is rooted in a belief that as the leader, you’ve got the be-all and end-all answers to whatever challenge presents itself in the moment. Here’s what I want you to know:
As a leader, you’re smart, you’re creative, you’ve got insight and wisdom, no doubt about it. The solutions you are able to put forward may in fact be the best for a given circumstance. And they might not be. Believe it or not, others may have better ideas. Even if they’re not better, even if they’re simply different, they might be as effective and when you refrain from imposing your ideas on your team of followers — when you allow them to use their best judgment to accomplish whatever needs to be done — you get stronger buy-in and long-term commitment to your cause, whatever it might be. In other words, you have got to be willing to trust that your team — however large, however young, however diverse — can handle the job and get it done.
Will they sometimes get it wrong? Yes. Will anyone ever take advantage of the trust you place in them? Maybe. Will someone find a loophole that circumvents the system you put in place? Possibly. And all of those types of situations can be addressed — and need to be addressed — on a one-off, case-by-case manner, rather than instituting blanket systems rooted in a micromanagerial style. If you’re dictating everything from when breaks are taken, how sick days may be used, what fonts must be used for memos, and the length of specific reports, you are NOT leading. In the words of George S. Patton: “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with the results.”
Being in a leadership role can sometimes feel like you’ve got to know it all, show it all and prove it all. In actual fact, however, the most effective leadership provides a frame, a frame based in trust, and then allows individuals to navigate their way within that frame in the way that’s right for them. If you truly want to be an inspiring leader, an effective leader, a leader worthy of your salt, develop your trust muscle. Trust yourself, trust others and stop micromanaging.