The ‘Helpful’ Leader
My cat, Mr Spooks, loves being where I am at home. He likes sitting on my lap, watching me cook, and even going to the bathroom when I do (weird, right?).
He is invaluable when it comes to my writing, especially when he generously walks across or sits on my computer keyboard. And while I am sure my little muse is pleased with his support and contribution, I’m less so. His help can be very unhelpful.
Leaders also have a few ‘helpful’ habits that get in the way of engagement and success at work. One thing that is currently on my mind is adding too much value.
This idea comes from Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, in which he shares twenty things you need to stop doing to be a great leader.
Imagine a team member coming to you with an idea. They are super excited about it. And it’s a pretty good idea. You may have seen something like it before. You ask a few questions about their thinking and how they will do it so you can understand how this moves from an idea to a beneficial, possibly profitable outcome.
Then, to be very helpful, you say, “That’s a great idea, but why don’t you try …” or “Do you know what would make it even better.”
There are often good intentions behind your ‘helping’. You don’t want them to waste time on things that might not work [also called learning, curiosity, and innovating]. But what tends to happen is that your incredible addition to their idea adds about 5% value to their idea and takes away 50% of the team members’ excitement because it’s just become your idea rather than a great new idea they had.
Marshall’s formula for Effectiveness of Execution = a) Quality of the idea X b) My commitment to make it work.
Empowering your team member to work on their idea increases engagement, motivation and creativity.
“Oh, but why let them waste time on things that don’t work or stop myself from giving good advice?” I hear you ask. “It’s my job to share my experience and help them develop, right?”
Sure. But the way you do that matters. Marshall Goldsmith advises the CEOs and Executives he coaches to consider this self-enquiry:
Before I speak, I should STOP, BREATHE, and ASK MYSELF, ‘Is it worth it?’
There are ways to maintain your team members' motivation while still guiding them using your excellent coaching skills.
How about trying this?
Let them run with it for a bit, ask them to come to you with any issues and take every opportunity to enquire it's going informally (in the lift, corridor or a brief message]
Meet regularly, especially early on, to more formally monitor progress.
When it looks like your help would be valuable, seek permission before you offer your idea. Ask, “Do you mind if I make a suggestion?” [Of course not]. “Have you thought about X / talking to” Y?” Then Stop Talking. You created room for a new idea to fit into their thinking and have given back control to your team member. See where they want to take this, and go ahead and feel a little chuffed with yourself.
Supporting your team's curiosity and creativity will drive your success more than showing how smart you are and that [yawn] you've seen it all before. Then, watch the trust, motivation, and engagement help your team members thrive.