If you feel the need to clear the way for the success of the people you lead – and set the table for them you are actually doing more harm than good. As well-intentioned as you may be, your actions are serving to diminish the capacity of your people to perform to their potential.
Cultivating competence and high-performance from people is a balancing act. You clearly do not want to make it impossible to perform well by throwing obstacles in their way – but removing the obstacles they need to identify and remove on their own sends the message that you feel they cannot function independently. It also deprives them of the opportunity to solve the problems they should own. You are not only weakening their problem-solving muscle; you are depriving them of the satisfaction they might otherwise experience.
Exercising judgement is no different than exercising your biceps. You make them stronger by using them. A certain amount of failure in either assessment or execution provides the resistance necessary for growth.
Making it necessary and possible for people to account for their own performance, good or bad, allows them to fully appreciate the satisfaction of their successes. In the end, the deep satisfaction we experience from meaningful and significant accomplishment exceeds the value of material compensation.
People who know their worth because they experience the value of their contributions are far more likely to remain on a path of constant-improvement, while those who seek to find satisfaction in financial incentives learn to expect more and greater incentives.
When I was growing up my dad’s lawnmower was the source of my first entrepreneurial endeavor. As long as I kept our own lawn well-cared for I could use the mower to cut our neighbors’ grass.
My parents had always made it clear that my allowance wasn’t payment for doing chores around the house – that was just my share of contributing to the wellbeing of our family.
That said, if I failed to keep our lawn manicured or the lawnmower in running condition – I would not only lose my source of income that week – I would also be responsible for causing my neighbors’ lawns to suffer.
The money I earned mowing lawns was a source of pride for work well-done, but more importantly it allowed me to learn about responsibility by making me the owner the problems I should own.
It is tempting to lend the wisdom of your experience to help others. But it is far better to entrust people to learn what they need to understand in order to become whomever they are capable of being. In practice this means holding back on your opinions, advice and judgement until you are asked – or when it becomes obvious that the weeds are growing so tall that you can no longer find lawnmower.
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Phil Liebman is the Founder and CEO at ALPS Leadership – Where we help people fully competent, truly exceptional leaders. www.ALPSLeadership.com Phil has also been a Group Chairman with Vistage Worldwide since 2005 – where he helps leaders realize their potential by learning with and from other leaders.
