Dear Want to Dive In,

Leaders like you are likely to have gone through many tough storms. It’s natural to want to jump in and take charge through this one. I’ll bet you thrive on stepping up to the challenge.

Whenever I am thrust into or discover a challenge, and dive in without really knowing how to solve it, I grow like crazy. Which is exactly what you and I want to do today. But if I’m the first to dive in as the leader, I can rob others of the growth they - and the business - most need.

As you watch your employees struggle through this year’s choppy water, it may feel imperative to leap to the helm and take over. What if you’re preventing people’s best opportunity to grow?

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Waiting until things are calm won’t develop great people. Right now is the perfect time to grow some really amazing sailors.

Here are three things to consider as you step aside and equip others to step up:

1. Identify what you want to accomplish, together.

To avoid sailing in circles, first have a conversation with your team about where the business needs to head next. Once the business need is really clear, team members can help identify gaps and now have the opportunity to step up to fill them. Discuss timing - does this challenge need to be tackled in three weeks or three months? Talk about resources - what do we have, right now, that can help us? These outcomes plot the course for the work your team can do next.

Ask these questions, as a group, to determine what’s most important:

What would great look like by next month?
What’s possible for us to achieve here?
What could get in the way of us being successful?

Once you get underway, be open to adjusting your course.

2. Allow for experimentation

We hear from leaders all the time who are frustrated that their folks seem to be waiting for permission. Time is wasted, deadlines are broken, and work isn’t completed as well as it could. Chances are people are waiting for a ‘yes’ before they activate because they don’t want to be wrong or don’t want to disappoint you or others.

You’ve already agreed upon what the business needs next. In times of struggle, we want to inspire our teams to give it all they got. In order to succeed, mistakes need to be ok.

If your people seem stuck, go back to our frequently asked question in one-on-one conversations:

“I know you don’t know what to do. But if you did, what would you try?”

Your employees might be surprised to find they already have one or two ideas up their sailor-style sleeves.

Follow up by asking: “What would you need to go and execute those ideas?”

Then let them get to work.

Encourage experimentation, and check in often on how well their solutions are working - or not. If things go wrong, hold back your “I told you so’s” and instead ask, “What would you like to try next?”

3. Invest in your emerging leaders

I once had a leader tell me, “Professional development is for rock stars - not corrective action for bad behavior.” When you notice stand-out behavior and equip emerging leaders to do more of those outstanding things, your entire crew can benefit.

As you consider how you want to invest in developing leaders in your company, we’re big fans of applying the 70-20-10 development model:

70% of career work in challenging, on-the-job experience: getting hands dirty, taking risks, and trying on responsibilities beyond current abilities
20% of development in the form of mentorship, shadowing, and learning from others
10% in workshops, classes, and formal learning opportunities

If you’re on the fence about investing in an individual leader, ask yourself these questions:

How much passion do they have for the direction the business is going?
How much do they believe in the value your company is bringing to clients?
How much do they put their learning to work at work?
What would the company be like with this person operating at their full potential?
What would the company be like without them here?

Hopefully, your answers will highlight what development could create a win-win-win for you, your employee, and your company overall.

Want to Dive In, it’s a scary feeling to loosen the grip on the wheel as the storm is getting rougher. If you feel unsure how to equip others to help move your organization in the right direction, let’s have a conversation.

And if you are a crew member who wants more leadership development, but are having trouble knowing how to ask, let’s talk.