New leaders often say yes too often and do too much of the work of others. I know, I’ve been there! But it doesn’t work, you come up short on the tasks that only you can do as a leader.
We do it out of sincerity and to be seen as a ‘good’ sport. For some it is to prove they are not above doing the work. For others it is to prove they know how to do the work, while other leaders want to be helpful and reduce the workload of their Team.
We quickly realize we are over-extended, and our ‘good’ intentions are taken advantage of by Team Members.
A new leader/participant (T.P.) in the Sage Conversations Program, defended her ‘helpfulness’ for several sessions, believing that she was supporting her team by helping with the work. But she came to realize she was causing more harm than good.
T.P’s Team Members labelled her helpfulness as micromanaging. They felt she did not trust their capabilities. They expressed to her they didn’t need or want her help.
Once she understood that message, she took more time to ask questions about issues raised and asked them how they might resolve their issues. It was awkward at first, as she knew the answers to the questions she was asking. And yet, she noticed that her Team Members had novel ways of getting results, different than what she would have done.
There are a lot of tricky situations for leaders who have been promoted from within the organization. The first few months are critical, for the new leader and the Team.
If this situation reasonates with you, and you are new leader or are promoting a new leader, this program will set you up for success. Consider joining the next session of “Sage Conversations for Leaders and Teams” starting the week of August 7th.
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