Product Showcases

Hands-Off Leadership

"Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out."
  --- Stephen Covey

As business leaders and owners, we have a tendency to want to manage things even after we put the right people in place to handle those tasks. It appears that we are mingling where we shouldn't be and this causes team members to describe us as "micro-managing." This term often rubs us wrong because we wonder how our people can say those things and believe we are micro-managing when we are simply seeing what needs to be done and then doing it.

The problem is that we are sending all kinds of signals to our team when we try to jump in and make things right. First, our actions are saying that we don't trust the people we've put in place. Think about it. We spend all the time, energy, and money in bringing the brightest, best qualified people on board and then we take over what these people should be doing. The thought becomes, "Why did you hire me if you don't trust me?"

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd."
  --- Max Lucado

Of course there are always fires to be put out, but occasionally we must allow those we put in place to get a little singed by the flames in order to grow. We trusted our instincts enough to hire them, now let them handle the situation. True, we may need to step in from time to time, but what we normally do is covet the entire operation because this business is our baby from birth and we don't want anything to happen to it. Learn to let go and trust.

The second signal that we send when we step in and try to handle things is a message to our customers that we are one to go to when things get out of hand. The buck stops with us. The problem here is that the customer will always want to speak to us and only us to get the job done. This is okay when we are at a particular size of operation, but as the company grows, other team members need to be the go-to people for these customers.

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."
  --- Steve Jobs

The best thing we can do is lead, not manage. We should be putting people and policies in place that manage while we lead. Setting examples of excellence, being a cheerleader for quality, and instilling our mission statement into our team members are our jobs. Leading by example such as not talking negatively about other employees in front of team members, sharing success stories with the team, rewarding quality and great customer service, and providing a good working environment are great examples.

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."
  --- Henry Ford

Leading with the right attitude sends volumes of messages to the troops. Set the right attitude example from the first date of hire, train your people your way with your philosophy for great customer service, give them the right tools to get the job done, then let them go. Trust them with your baby.

"Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."
  --- John D. Rockefeller