Empowering Your Team: Strategies for Supporting Member Asks in the Next Meeting

 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽, 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

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❓When a team member asks you for help, how can you walk the tightrope between micromanaging (doing the work for them) and under-leading (failing to give enough guidance)?

❌Micromanaging receives much attention, but under-leading or under-managing can have just as harmful effects and results.

🌟Leading is about building people with the competence and confidence to address problems, the resilience to overcome challenges and the trust that they will come to you when they are truly stuck and need help.

❌Telling them ‘what’ to do and ‘how’ to do it doesn’t usually develop those needed problem-solving skills to tackle difficulties that will undoubtedly arise in the future. But neither does NOT provide any assistance or guidance, as is common with most under-leading/managing types who typically want to avoid conflict or hold their teams accountable to remain popular and well-liked by their team.

💡Developing others and preparing them to face problems involves shifting their mindset to owning the problem and the plan to address it. Leaders shape the environment and cultivate the relationship, so that team members know you trust and support them as they work on whatever situation they are up against.

💡If you want a team member or a direct report to own their plan truly, they need to come up with their next steps—with your support. Striking this balance is all about asking great questions.

👇Here are a few questions to help support:

❓Get specific: “What are you planning to do next?”

❓Get positive: “What’s already working for you in this process?”

❓Get resourceful: “What else do you need to move forward?”

❓Get collaborative: “Who else do you need to talk with/work with/align with?”

❓Get tracking: “How will you measure progress?”

💫These questions may take time and effort to answer. If you understand that they need more of a directive approach, you can help by working through the questions with them.

💫Over time, team members will start asking themselves the right questions and will find the right answers on their own! This doesn’t mean disengaging, though! Instead, stay in contact with your team member, offer support if needed, and watch how they flourish with newfound skills and confidence!