A prerequisite to great leadership is your ability to ask thought provoking questions to your team members and truly, authentically listen. It is very easy to swoop on in and give direction without involving those you lead but that minimizes the potential contributions of your team and creates less buy in.
To Engage is to Lead
To Develop is to Lead
To Inquire is to Lead
To Listen is to Lead
If you seek solutions to a problem, tailored around a specific set of questions, you help your team in the ability to discover the correct answers on their own, rather then simply being told the solution. This helps build confidence and creates ownership and true feelings of pride that will lead to success.
You are the gatekeeper to development and your team needs you to guide and coach them in order to elevate their experience and skillsets. Always remember that most people do not see the way you do, think the way you do nor pursue solutions in the way you do.
In order to grow and develop healthy teams, you must take the route of patience to help untap the potential within your those you lead, otherwise you may find yourself having to work harder and longer. Do not allow yourself to consistently put out fires and be the person everyone goes to for solutions.
Inquire, listen, engage and redirect when necessary.
To inspire those you lead, you must first inquire with those of whom you lead.
“We can teach from experience, but we cannot teach experience” ~ Sasha Azevedo
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