Devolving responsibility and authority
For any business owner there comes a point when they cannot do all the things that need to be done. In order to move the organization forward and grow, an owner or manager must find people who are a good fit, train them, then turn them loose. If you have selected good people for your team, support them but don’t smother them. As you see them grow into the role, they should be given room to own their part of the business and make decisions within that sphere of responsibility. Once something has been delegated and that person has proven themselves competent, it is demoralizing to micro-manage them. It also stifles an employee’s potential when a manager forces a narrow band of what is acceptable. This may be somewhat necessary in some roles where consistent processes are important for the end product, but freedom to innovate and “tinker” with processes can yield tremendous benefits.
For any owner, manager or leader, the goal is for your team to be better at any given task than you were at it, when you were in that role. Better yet, find people who can do things that you never could. That is a true opportunity to bring a diverse mindset to an organization. A concept that we will explore in future newsletters.
When it comes to growing or stabilizing an organization then there must be accountability both ways. An owner or manager must lead and nurture their team’s growth in both their current role and any future role they might be suited for. Employees must uphold their side as well and be open to either growth within the organization or specialization. This is an interesting concept that we will also explore more in the future, people manager vs. individual contributor, as both are critical to the success of any business. There is a need to be prepared to move people out of a role if they are not a good fit. It is not fair to them or to the rest of the organization if they are failing. It is ultimately the role of the leader to make sure people are in the right position and effectively supported. For an organization to be effective, the right people need to be in the right role and all moving forward in the direction that the leader has chosen and free to innovate, improve and lead in their own area.
Good to Great by Jim Collins was assigned reading when I was a manager at Chili’s in the early 00’s. Though not perfect and maybe a little dated now, it is definitely worth a read. I would recommend that if these topics are relevant to you, it is worth your time to check it out.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to supporting you in any way I can. Drop me a note on LinkedIn, at my email address stratton@downeaststratmc.com or forward my intro blog to a friend. It provides tips and explores management principles.
