As leader, don’t add ‘too much’ value
You got to where you are, leadership, because you had (and have) ideas. You know stuff. And you know how to get stuff done.
That’s great. It’s awesome. But it’s also a trap.
As leaders we can add ‘too much’ value.
When a member of staff enters your office with an idea, do they leave still thinking it’s their idea? Or, did you ‘help’ them to reform, reshape, and reimagine the idea such that it no longer feels like their idea? To them, it feels like yours.
Rather than feeling energised they now feel like they just volunteered for some extra work — they have to take your idea and run with it.
Maybe their idea wasn’t perfect. Maybe it had a few rough edges. Maybe you’d walked that particular minefield before and gave them a map. But, would the individual have been more inspired if you hadn’t? Would the 10% missing from the idea have been more than made up for by their increased motivation?
Was the idea good enough to let them run with it, at least for a while?
Beware adding ‘too much’ value.
Dr. Denry Machin is an educational consultant specialising in teacher training and new school start-ups. His latest book ‘International Schooling: The Teacher’s Guide’ can be accessed here.
If you enjoyed this over a coffee, consider buying me a coffee here.
The Wisdom Of Heads
