There are many ways you can become your company’s own biggest choke point, but one of the most common ways is insisting on command and control. One of the hardest things to do as a company founder or visionary is letting go. You may not think this is a problem for you, but ask yourself these questions:

• If an unexpected problem arises, do you let your team follow their processes, as opposed to jumping in to solve it yourself with new ideas or trying to reinvent processes?
• Do you patiently listen to new ideas or suggestions from team members, or are you usually jumping to a conclusion about their idea before they can finish?
• Do you feel that you must micromanage tasks or else nothing gets done correctly? Do you often thing, “I’ll just do it myself,” and fail to delegate?
• Can you accept that failures are just some of the steps your employees take to learn?
• If a majority of your leadership team differs with your opinion, do you feel it is a blind spot for you or for them?

Why is letting go so difficult? Usually, it’s because as a founder or visionary, you became successful by knowing what works and leading by example. But if you don’t allow your team to find their own way, they can never grow into the leaders you need them to be to take the next steps in the growth of your company. You must learn to be more of a coach to your best players than a micromanager. They need to become more entrepreneurial in their own thinking to drive you company forward and they cannot do that if they remain overly concerned with your opinion as the ultimate decision maker.

You need to empower your team to think for themselves and make their own decisions about solutions and paths forward. Your approval doesn’t matter, company results matter. By giving those closest to you autonomy, they will have no choice but to grow and take on the mantle of leadership in your organization — transforming it into something that surpasses even your original vision.

If this feels like it could be an issue in your organization – that you and your opinions might actually be a bottleneck – I want you to consider the following ways you can loosen up a little.

Recognize And Accept the Value of Diverse Opinions and Perspectives

Acknowledge that everyone has different ideas and views and encouragingly listen to them, making sure they are respected and heard.

When your company grows, it often faces great complexity. The right solutions to complex problems often come from diverse voices. There is great value in different opinions and perspectives. By listening to other people’s ideas and views without judgement, you can gather important information and ideas that might have missed. Differing backgrounds and points of view provide us with a bigger picture of what we’re working on. Being open to others’ perspectives encourages your own intellectual growth, as well as mutual respect.

Think of each new perspective as a new window in your office. If you only look out of the windows of your corner office, you only see the same view every day. You might not learn of the new bank opening on the west side of your building or know when the taco truck arrives on the north side or get to watch the bicycle race on the east side. If you don’t have other perspectives, you approach different problems with the same solution and the same perspective. That may have gotten you to a certain point, but it will stunt your growth at some point as well.

Foster Respect

Be careful when seeking diverse opinions. Most entrepreneurs are highly opinionated and intuitive, so you are probably going to hear things you don’t like. You need to be open-minded and most importantly, make sure that everyone’s opinions and views are heard and respected. As the leader of your company, it is your job to create a safe space for individuals to share their thoughts and give all employees the opportunity to learn from each other and broaden their own knowledge. Respect encourages collaboration where every voice has equal weight and importance in the discourse.

Respect ultimately leads to better decision-making processes because employees feel greater freedom for creativity and innovation.

Be Consistent in Your Delegation Style

Too often we see founders try to be more hands off, only to return harsher than ever. They may tell themselves that they are trying to make their team more self-sufficient, but in reality, they aren’t giving them enough feedback to improve and make good decisions. Then when a mistake happens, they insert themselves in ways that make their team feel like they cannot operate correctly without the founder’s constant supervision and involvement.

We ask leaders to think about five areas when they delegate:

1. Does the employee have the skills, bandwidth and experience to be successful? If not, how can you help them become more independent through the process?
2. Do they understand your criteria for success and decisions in the area you are delegating?
3. Can you track and manage their goals and progress? We prefer the OKR methodology, but even simple status reports help.
4. Did you make your desired result as clear as possible? Assume nothing when you are delegating, make your expected outcomes unmistakable.
5. Did you look for opportunities to reward more than you do opportunities to criticize.

Empower Your Team to Make Decisions

Delegate more responsibility to team members by giving them the power to make decisions without first relying on you for approval.

The first step is better delegation. This forces your team to think about outcomes without seeking your approval on each step. They earn a greater sense of ownership over projects and the success for your company. They gain confidence. They encourage and motivate others to common ends. If you want to grow further and faster, your team needs autonomy, so they are relying on you for each decision and outcome.

It is important to put together decision-making frameworks for helping your team make decisions that are based on:

• Your core values
• The value you bring to customers
• Weighted decision criteria
• Legal guidelines
• Outcomes from similar situations
• Mutual accountability

If you need help making better decisions, contact us today to discuss our “Good Call,” training and coaching programs where we lead your team in some proven and practical decision-making processes.

Ultimately empowering individual team members not only gives them a sense of importance but also saves time from having to constantly consult one another for approval on every decision. This means that tasks become easier and faster to complete which results in smoother workflow throughout the organization.

Establish Clear Communication Channels

Make sure there is open dialogue between yourself and your team members where all questions or concerns can be voiced freely so nothing gets missed out in conversations.

You need regular message threads, meetings, status reports and keep an open door. Regular communication – communication that is so programmed and rhythmic that input is expected — allows your employees to ask questions, express their opinions, and raise concerns without fear of judgement. It’s not unusual to give feedback, it is considered part of their job. This gives everyone the opportunity to be heard and understood, helping to avoid any misunderstandings that could arise from miscommunication.

Your office has a door for a reason. Keep it open to encourage drop-ins. If you delegate appropriately, you should be willing to spend time with people who need your time. Don’t be afraid to invite others in as well to share opinions. But also, be willing to close that door for respect and privacy. Having open dialogue between yourself and your team members encourages collaboration and trust within the group. By creating a safe space for people to express themselves without any intimidation or pressure, it allows for more productive discussions where ideas can be exchanged freely and constructively.

Poor communication often happens because of simple gaps. An issue may seem too insignificant to mention unless you make it part of your regular meeting and status processes to mention such problems. If it’s not addressed, it may get overlooked. Schedule regular tactical meetings and check-ins to keep everyone on the same page and working toward common objectives. Review OKRs as a team.

Ask For Feedback Regularly

Regularly ask your team for feedback on how you are leading from their perspective; this can help identify any areas where improvement is needed in order for you to become a better leader.

You need to be aware of your blind spots because they won’t be apparent to you on your own. That’s why we call them blind spots. Because most entrepreneurs are highly intuitive, it doesn’t occur to them they could be wrong. That comes with having the confidence you need to start a company in the first place. Asking for feedback regularly is an important part of growing and developing as a leader. By getting feedback on how you are leading from your team’s perspective, this can help identify any areas that need improvement so that you can become an even better leader.

Having regular communications about your own leadership style can also lead to fruitful conversations about leadership issues on your team. Knowing that you trust them for your own growth helps them to open up to you about areas they need to grow as well. Knowing that their opinions are valued can give people a sense of importance within the group, helping to improve morale and foster positive relationships between individuals throughout the organization. These moments often lead to constructive discussions about topics such as workflows, timelines and processes. It also provides an opportunity for everyone involved to have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions about projects or tasks, giving people greater ownership over their own work.

Give Credit Where It’s Due

Take time to recognize and thank team members for their contributions.

Giving credit where it’s due makes your team feel great about contributing. Taking the time to recognize and thank your team members for their contributions helps to foster a sense of appreciation among individuals and encourages them to keep up the hard work.

Nothing is too small to be celebrated. Life is too short not to celebrate every chance we get. It doesn’t have to be a party around every corner. Public praise goes a long way. Several times a day, gather people in impromptu settings to say things like:

• “I want to thank Mary for pointing out that we didn’t need to require sign up forms every time a client came in, that really saves a lot of time and makes the clients happier.”
• “Bob helped me finish an email to investors, and while I know that doesn’t help a lot of you in your jobs, it reduced my stress level and that means I get to be a lot more fun to be around today.”
• “Zhang showed me how to use a whiteboard on Zoom and that saved me on my last call.”

And on a selfish level, people hold a higher opinion of other people who are humble and give recognition. So, it actually adds to your reputation that you accepted and appreciated help in areas.

Retain a Sense of Humor

Keeping a lighthearted attitude within the workplace helps create an atmosphere of positivity amongst team members; making it easier for people to take risks without fear of retribution or judgement.

A sense of humor in the workplace is an important part of creating a positive working environment. It can reduce stress levels, build team morale, and encourage people to take risks. This can ultimately lead to more creative thinking and higher overall productivity in your company.

Not everyone is Melissa Villaseñor. I’m not advocating that you create a comedy routine for your leadership style. I’m just asking you to consider the fact that with every negative situation, you have a choice to frame it in your mind as a tragedy or a comedy. Generally, if no one has died, you should choose to see the comedy in the situation.

Try to look at the situation from an outside and objective vantage point. This can help you see the absurdity or irony of the situation, rather than focusing on how it affects you. When I was a young manager, I learned to look at confrontation as if I was watching a movie. It turned a lot of difficult situations into entertainment for me because I could see the frequent absurdity of watching people get so upset over small things

When something goes wrong, most employees really want to be reassured of two things: you’re not going to fire them, and the company will survive. Those two things are almost always true, so approaching each situation with levity can let your employees off the hook so they can worry about what is important.

Provide Constructive Criticism

When offering criticism, keep it focused toward improving performance rather than tearing people down.

Providing constructive criticism is an important part of any successful team dynamic. Offering criticism in a way that focuses on improving performance, rather than tearing people down, will benefit everyone in the long run. This type of feedback helps to promote mutual respect between members and encourages individuals to take responsibility for their actions.

Be direct but respectful and eliminate any harsh edges. I generally find it useful to wait a day if possible to offer criticism. That gives me time to reflect and it removes any raw emotion that could color my words if I respond in the moment. I also like to write down what I’m going to say, even if it’s just bullet points. It allows me to be more thoughtful, considerate and direct in what I want to convey.

Continue To Lead by Example

Demonstrate good leadership practices by taking responsibility when things go wrong and staying humble in victory because it sets a good precedent for others to follow suit.

Encouraging others to step up doesn’t mean you stop leading. It reinforces the idea that no one is above the team or their peers. This shows that success comes from collective effort, not individual struggle. Demonstrating some of the tactics we’ve discussed above encourages team members to take responsibility and stay humble.