Far too many leaders are lost. Most won’t admit it, but they are stuck in the day-to-day, moving from task to task, the next fire or crisis, on autopilot. Between an endless barrage of useless meetings and an ever-changing list of priorities, for some, there’s little time focused on not only building but developing a strategy. Instead of prioritizing moving forward, these leaders find themselves permanently working in the business, doing tasks that they shouldn’t. Many leaders should be operating at a different level, working on the business.
Don’t Work Just in the Business
Sure, the day-to-day is important. Operationally, things need to get done. But does the leader need to be intricately involved in every minor detail? Nope. Whether you manage a team, lead a small group of experts, or run an entire division or organization, you must know your role. It’s one thing sometimes to roll up your sleeves and work alongside your group, but is that truly what’s required? Leaders should help with removing obstacles from their team’s path. Then leaders need to get the hell out of their way, letting the experts do the work.
Delegate
Where many leaders struggle is delegating specific tasks and responsibilities to team members. A leader who struggles with delegating will often find themselves involved in the details, focused on things not worthy of their time. Whether it’s due to a lack of trust they feel, or they wrongly believe everything needs to flow through them, these leaders need a wake-up call. To be successful, leaders need to realize that they are successful when they can influence positive outcomes through their people, instead of doing all the work themselves.
Identify the tasks that you should focus on and what members of your team need to do. It comes down to priorities. Role clarity is essential. Leaders need to create a culture, sharing expectations with their team about what they should be looped into. As a leader, do you want to know everything or just significant matters? My team knows when to pull me into something. If it’s something I don’t need to be concerned with, I also let them know that. I don’t need to be involved next time something pops up as I trust them to handle it on their own.
Big Picture Strategy
When leaders try to be involved in everything, it takes them away from strategy development. Everyone operates from different perspectives, depending on their role in the organization. Leaders need to be focused on the big picture, connecting the dots for team members, with an eye to the future, balancing what’s going on in the present. Stuck in the mode of firefighting or in the nitty-gritty details of the team, far too many leaders fail to plan.
I’ve personally witnessed a lot of leaders who fail to design a roadmap for the year ahead. They are overly reactive with everything, often ineffective. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to prioritize planning and strategy efforts. Being able to do so will provide order to the chaos experienced in your team and organization.
Becoming the type of leader you want and are expected to be, you must work on the business, not just in the business. For more ways to pull yourself out of the day-to-day, connect with me for more coaching and solutions. If you are ready to take the leap to new levels of success, be sure to check out some of these resources from my recommended reading list as well.
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