You might be caring too much
Ask the team of any great leader and “caring” will be one of the adjectives used to describe them. Of course you care. As a business owner you are fully invested in the success of your business and team. You are dumping all of your time and finances into it. There is a lot to lose if you don’t succeed.
As business owners and leaders, we know that being seen as a leader “who doesn’t care” means defeat and attrition to our team. Having a leader that doesn’t care is one of the most documented morale busters. But it is possible to care too much about the wrong things.
Don’t go to extremes
There are two ends of the spectrum that leaders need to steer clear of. The first is apathy. The answer to caring too much cannot be not caring at all.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. - Proverbs 29:18
To be an influential leader, one that is acting responsibly and with the mindset to serve others, you cannot leave your business to chance. You cannot just allow your business or people to drift and fend for themselves. Your team and customers deserve a leader whose passion is supported by a plan.
The opposite end of the spectrum is one that I see in many new leaders, and it will absolutely impede the development of your team- if it doesn’t drive them away altogether. You just might be caring too much. In a word, you are no longer a leader but a micromanager. Micromanagers lead from a place of fear. You don’t want to fail. You want to hit your goals, and you want your business to be successful. But this hyper focus damages the relationships and initiative of those around you. Confidence is lost, because there is no trust. Creativity is stifled, because there is no freedom of thought. You are caring too much when you must personally ensure every word, every task, every project and person is just right and in order. Because you care you want it exactly perfect, but that is contradictory to human nature and to enhanced performance.
The mindset of micromanaging means you are interfering. Not only are you the one standing in the way, but you are taxing yourself as the leader, putting tasks on your plate and items on your calendar that detract from your primary focus: leading the team. Leaders lead; they don’t do everything themselves. Micromanagers will experience higher turnover and eventual burnout.
Find the balance
Leading your team is a lot like flying over cities in an airplane. Think of the last time you flew over your hometown. Those familiar landmarks look different when you have distance and are looking from above. You’re able to see exactly how highways connect, the shape of the landscape, and you can see much further than when you are on the ground. Transfer that concept to your business. Don’t let fear of failure cause you to get stuck in the weeds of minutiae. Instead, apportion that fear into focus and action. Pull back the throttle and rise up to 50,000 feet. You will empower your team, giving them opportunities for creativity and initiative. But, how do you do this?
Your leadership philosophy
Start by creating and documenting your leadership philosophy. Who are you as a leader? What are your core values, expectations, priorities, and non-negotiables? What is your commitment to your team and to the business or organization as a leader? Without a plan as to how you want to lead, you’ll be in a constant state of flux as you try to create a philosophy for each situation you encounter. This philosophy is not a list of policies but rather a message that guides you and your team in decision making.
Communicate those expectations to your team. It is not necessary to be involved in everyone’s daily agenda, but you should reserve the right to check in on projects and progress. This mindset still includes accountability but allows freedom as to how the process or project is completed. Remember that you chose individuals to be on your team because they do not think/act the same way you do. Take a step back and empower them to work as they do best - and grow as a result of it.
A clear coaching plan
Finally, you need a clear plan for how you can empower your team to tackle new challenges. Giving them a pep talk and a task they’ve never completed is throwing them to the wolves. With no clear guidance or background knowledge you and your team will experience frustration. But when you have developed a process to teach and release responsibility over time, your team will confidently take on and complete any task.
Here is what this looks like with my team. I also refer to this as the 4 quadrants of coaching:
Clear directions - The first time I give a team member a new responsibility I explicitly tell them, “This task is done this way…”. There is an initial investment of my time and I walk them through the whole process. During this time, I provide feedback, and my employee is gaining experience and confidence.
Oversee the task - After a few repetitions, take a step back from instruction and monitor as they continue the process. Check in more often than not, providing additional feedback and course corrections as necessary.
High oversight and low direction - Zoom back even farther to see the majority of what they do. By this time, the team member should be confident in the task and may only need clarification on specific points or timelines.
Low oversight and low direction - At this stage, you are hands off and can be confident that your team member is firing on all cylinders. Schedule in some accountability spot checks on your calendar. Trust but verify.
This coaching cycle carries many more details, but should be replicated with each new employee or new task. By investing more time up front, you are allowing your team to see that you care enough to teach them. At the end of the cycle, it will be clear that you care and trust them. This balance and gradual release of responsibility is the sweet spot where influential leaders live.
If you’re unsure about where to start, begin by taking our free leadership assessment to understand where you are and what steps to take next.
Most people don’t realize there are actual leadership tools available that work to develop influential leaders. CS Business Consulting gives you the roadmap, tools, and training to experience the power of influence and the reshaping of your culture. Building high performing teams is essential to becoming an influential leader.
