You Don’t Have to Do All the Thinking Yourself
How often do you set aside your “fix it” tendencies and your preference for control to invite those you lead to to engage in a problem-solving process? Blogger, instructor, and leadership coach, Ed Batista offers four practices to strengthen your delegation muscle (summarized with support from ChatGPT.)
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Self-Reflection and Feedback: Leaders should examine how their need for control may hinder collaboration. Gaining feedback from others can reveal blind spots and lead to growth, often aided by coaching. (Consider a 360 tool like the one available through participation in the Four Essential Roles of Leadership, being offered on June 16 & 17 — includes Evaluator Approval).
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Collaborative Problem-Solving: Rather than deciding in isolation or delegating completely, leaders can use approaches like consulting or mentoring to involve others, even when those people are part of the problem. This strengthens relationships and fosters shared responsibility.
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Shaping Problem-Solving Culture: Leaders influence organizational culture and must ensure the right people are included in discussions, contribute constructively, and feel psychologically safe to disagree or share bad news.
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Protecting Reflection Time: Leaders must prioritize time to reflect alone in order to tackle strategic issues. Treat the energy of attention as a valuable resource and create space for deep thinking.
Read the full post here.