People fundamentally want to do a good job, They want to run with the ball.
And, as leaders, we often struggle with this. We really want others to do stuff. Yet we think that we are the ones who have to hold the ball, control things, and prevent failure. Should we ever delegate to another person, we jump back in at the first sign of something going wrong or even going counter to the way we would do it.
The result: we end up with all the work and the others end up feeling gun-shy. How after all, can they possibly pick up the ball if we won’t drop it?
They need us to delegate significant chunks of accountability, hold them to it, and support them along the way. We need to give ownership away, encourage learning from failure, and maintain focus on the big goals. Win-win.
In your corner,
Mike