IF YOU ARE DOING THE WORK, WHO IS DOING THE LEADING?

It is p

retty difficult to get people to follow you if you are always looking down instead of looking ahead. They won’t know where you are taking them because you won’t know. Doing the work can have that effect because it can make you forget that you are the leader. There are always times where you need to pitch in to get something over the finish line. But that should be the exception and not the norm. Every team needs a leader that sits on top of the pack and provides direction. At times, it may be necessary to “do”. Make sure it is for the right reasons.

Don’t enable poor performance.

When you routinely do someone else’s job for them, you are ignoring poor performance. And in so doing, you are making your organization weaker, not stronger. You are limiting the output of your organization to your output yet you are paying for more than that. It is neither sustainable nor productive to carry on that way. It is easy to feel empathy for struggling employees and leaders certainly need to be human. However, you should also feel empathy for your top producers who are carrying your company as they deserve more of your support and not less.

Assist doesn’t mean do all of the work.

It means to give support or to offer help. They still do their share; you try to get them over the hump. Everyone needs a hand from time to time but taken to extremes, support can be a real disabler.

Don’t let tasks overwhelm you.

Working lists are clear and easy to follow and you should supervise that they are getting done, by the people getting paid to do them. Don’t get lost in the weeds and confuse activity with progress. Activity isn’t necessarily progress if it isn’t moving your company closer to your goal. It’s your job to set the true north and guide your company in that direction. So pick your head up and lead.