I've been watching a lot of Olympics and Paralympics this month. I'm not normally a sports nut, but the variety of sports, and the talent and determination on show makes it compelling viewing.
One story that caught my eye was of triathlete Sam Dickinson. No, he didn’t take the glory and win gold, but he did play a crucial part in two medal wins. Firstly he helped the mixed relay team win bronze. But he also played a key role in enabling Alex Yee to win gold. He was the pacemaker, leading the bike element, then handing over the lead, before dropping out the race. Truly an example of fulfilling his role in the team.
Whether we are playing in our correct role is a conversation which often shows up when I’m coaching teams. It goes hand in hand with the succession planning and people development conversation, as often senior leaders are stepping down to do roles which is no longer theirs to do. For example: directors making operational decisions despite having capable senior managers , people leaders stepping back into their old technical roles and getting into the detail of issues they’ve employed other people to solve.
So why does this happen?
Unclear Expectations. As leaders we haven’t been clear enough with our people about what we want them to do. We make assumptions that they know, and they often don’t. We’ve not been specific, and have given them very little feedback, so they are guessing.
Underperformance is another. Are the people employed in that role actually delivering what is expected of them? If they aren’t, have we told them that? If not, why not? Avoiding the difficult conversation, and stepping in instead rarely works, and only causes a bigger issue later down the line.
We’re leading where we shouldn’t be. This happens if we’ve progressed through a business or discipline. We know the roles our people are doing, as we’ve done them before. It’s easy to step down, pick up the slack, under the guise of ‘supporting’. Often though we’re taking over instead. It’s disempowering, doesn’t help our people, and ultimately stifles the organisation.
If any of this sounds familiar; here’s what you can do about it.
1. Know your mandate: What role is yours to deliver? What should you be doing, and what should you be delegating? If you don’t have the right people in place, engage them, develop them or develop yourself to let go and trust others.
2. Give clarity: Once you have the right people in position, make sure they are clear on what you expect of them. Give them the support and resources they need to do the job, and let them lead.
3. Don’t overuse a strength: If you are tempted to step in because you think ‘I know how to do this, or can do it faster/better’ – stop! Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Help the other person build skill and expertise and empower them to do the job without you.
4. Coach don’t advise: If people ask for your advice, then don’t give them the benefit of your wisdom. If you have all the answers, they won’t learn and you won’t be able to go on holiday! Coach them instead using open questions to get them to come up with their own solutions. The next time they’ll know what to do.
5. Hold people accountable: This sounds simple but isn’t. Accountability means giving people direct feedback on successes and failures; diplomatically and objectively. This does mean we’ll have some difficult conversations, and that’s the hard bit. We often avoid these conversations , or rescue people by stepping into help. Remember, you’re not their parent – so don’t save them or scold them. We employ adults, and need to discuss this as adults, without taking on parent mode.
Above all, if you find yourself stepping down a level to pick up a task, then hold up the mirror. Ask yourself – ‘am I playing in the right position?’ And if you aren’t, then make sure the right person is instead!
Annabel is an Executive and Team Coach, Leadership Facilitator and Coach Supervisor. Contact Annabel via LinkedIn, annabel@successfultraining.co.uk, or visit www.successfultraining.co.uk