What kind of leader are you?
In my workshops, I meet many managers who ask an employee to do something, and when the employee turns in low-quality work, the manager just fixes it themselves.
Yes, an employee’s performance can be a reflection of the manager, but this fear of looking bad comes from a need to be seen as competent and likable.
I have two things to say about this.
First, know that there are four kinds of leaders:
Abdicator: You don’t require much of your employees, and you also don’t give them anything.
Dominator: You demand a lot of the people on your team, but you don’t give them the support they need to accomplish.
Protector: High support, low challenge. I’m in your corner, here to help…but when something doesn’t go quite right, I’ll step in to take care of it myself, instead of having you figure it out yourself.
Liberator: Balances high demand with strong support. Encourages solving problems while offering help. Instead of stepping in to fix it, they say, “I’m willing to have the hard conversation with you, about what was supposed to happen, what you need to do to fix it, and I’m here to help you.”
Managers and leaders with high expectations and high support build up the people around them and reduce their own frustration.
The second thing I’ll say about this is to inform your own boss what is happening, what you’re doing about it, and to make sure they understand that if there are failures, it’s on the path to growth.
