I help higher ed advancement strengthen leadership and build team ownership | Author, ONE BOLD MOVE A DAY | Keynote Speaker | HBR Contributor | Hogan Assessment Facilitator | Mother
How do you help your team members handle challenges—without taking on their challenges for them? In working through a challenge and learning from it, your team is able to grow. Think about the last time a team member told you about a challenge they had…and then somehow it was turned over to you to manage, or you picked it up and solved it. You might be so good at putting out fires you didn’t even realize it. I get it. I’m an action-oriented person. I love to solve problems. I love to support my team. A leader’s job is to coach team members to solve their problems and handle difficult situations, not necessarily do it for them. I definitely learned this the hard way as a new leader. First, I drowned in directly managing the team’s challenges plus my own. Then, I learned my efforts to help my team unintentionally showed them that only I can handle something, or to expect that I will. I still take seriously my role as a leader to remove barriers and intervene, as appropriate—but I also remind my team members that I believe in their abilities. Here are three steps to help your team members navigate their own challenges (with your support and guidance, of course). ASK QUESTIONS Ask your team member open-ended questions to help them think through the challenge. You might say, “What do you think the next step should be?” or “How should we handle this challenge?” You want to draw out their perspective and demonstrate that this is something you expect them to manage. DETERMINE YOUR ROLE When your team member starts talking about their challenge, try to determine if they need to vent or need you to do something. Because I have a tendency to jump into things, I have to catch myself to ask if the team member wants feedback, support, or action. If they want feedback or support,they’re showing they intend to manage through the challenge and would benefit from your guidance. If they request action, dig a little deeper before you take this on. Try to understand if they aren't confident in their choices and need reassurance, or if they're delegating the tough stuff to avoid managing it themselves. REINFORCE YOUR TEAM MEMBER’S STRENGTHS Acknowledge your team member’s challenge—and their ability to get through it. Reassure them that you believe they can handle it. You may remind them of how they successfully handled a difficult situation in the past. Most importantly, remember that the leader’s role is not to solve their team's problems—but to help their team become better problem solvers.