HOW DOES A LEADER ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH AND THROUGH THEIR TEAM? - TRUST AND DELEGATION

HOW DOES A LEADER ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH AND THROUGH THEIR TEAM? - TRUST AND DELEGATION

A leader at any and all levels has the duty of instructor and teacher. If this duty and role is executed well the leader will almost certainly achieve success. How so?

The leader is the repository of the primary vision, mission and objectives of the undertaking be it commercial or other form of organisation, for this reason it follows by default that they should be able to articulate the vision and mission of the collective and break it down to strategy and actionable tactics to the team that reports to them.

This is done by way of instruction and practically showing example of execution and realising the expected results. This instils and builds confidence in the team and as such the team readily coorperates in executing the strategy with each member doing their bit knowing that the leader is overlooking the bigger picture and guiding accordingly.

Once the leader is satisfied with the team's ability to function as a coherent harmonious unit they must get out of the way and let the team perform without interruption except for overall control purposes when there is deviation from the articulated plan otherwise any attempts to interfere at every turn will not only slow the team down but it kills the confidence and spirit in the team, they feel that the leader is unsure of their ability to execute and that right there is a damper and a sign of weakness on the leader's part. The second-guessing never stops and the team has difficulties to be coordinated going forward.

Getting out of the way builds the team's ability to trust one another even with the leader carefully watching from the terraces, mistakes are to be expected here and there due to unforeseen developments but the team would be right on the pulse with every move and consistent with the script like they originated it on their own. This is the beauty of articulating strategy well and playing the role of teacher and instructor with finesse, the team members individually take ownership of the vision and position themselves to give optimum performance with crystal clarity of the common objective.

With time the leader realises that they have assembled a team of rock stars with everyone taking pride in their contribution to the end result. With such homogeneity
 obtaining within the team there is an ease to delegate built by the leader's trust in the team and the team's resolve to deliver and assert their trust in the leader. Even giant killing missions are no nightmare for a leader who instils and builds confidence by fostering mutual trust with the team because at every call of duty the team is sure to rise to the occasion and do that which the teacher would have articulated to them beyond expectation.

The leader for their part gets the recognition that is due to them, the honor is given based on the results delivered by the team. The team can only execute as accurately as the strategy and vision has been broken down and imparted to them. It is for this reason that every leader should take the role of teacher and instructor seriously as a major component of the whole leadership work and process.

To be second-guessed as a leader is very undesirable and gives offence almost every time it happens, the feeling is the same for team members and subordinates when the leader is hesitant to delegate or gives instruction and refuses to get out of the way. It causes frustration and one can just hear someone murmuring " you might as well do it yourself boss". The truth is that it happens when you are a leader who wants to micro-manage every detail, as much as one might think they are in control and in charge the unfortunate result of this is that the team becomes a bunch of stooges who cannot function or make even the smallest of decisions on their own and worse still such a team never gets to take ownership of the vision and execute with determination and pride in their work.

Fully grown functional adults who deserve dignity and respect get reduced to mechanical robots by fear of delegation and control freak tendencies on the leadership's part.

Respect begets respect and trust begets trust, it is very possible and in-fact right and just for leaders to rise and shine in tandem with their respective teams when the foundation is respect and trust, everyone looking out for the team's interests and the leader standing ready to always support and even defend his team in the rare event that the team falters because such a leader would know and trust that the team would not fail him deliberately and without having done their best. Yes! events of failure become rarities for the homogenous, coherent team with a strong leader who builds confidence, fosters trust and is not afraid to teach, delegate and get out of the way.

THE GOLDEN WORD FOUNTAIN (TGWF)