The Sunday Draft

I often find myself reflecting on the dynamics we navigate in the professional world.

There’s a particular pattern I’ve observed quite frequently, concerning how leaders tend to approach tasks based on their own connection to the work.

It seems to me that a common response for many leaders involves one of two approaches:

• When they know the details intimately, with high personal expertise, there is a tendency to lean towards micromanaging.
• When the task is less familiar, there’s a swing towards a more hands-off management style (which, at times, is presented rather deviously as, genuine empowerment).

Based on what I’ve seen unfold from these approaches, I believe there’s a significant opportunity for more consistent effective leadership.

The Limits of Leading from Habit

When a leader micromanages from a place of deep expertise, the intention is often genuinely about ensuring quality using their knowledge. Yet, this approach frequently limits the team’s capacity.

It can reduce their opportunities to solve problems independently, to innovate, or to truly own their contribution. Leading to frustrations and team members feeling their capabilities aren’t fully trusted or utilized.

On the flip side, when a leader adopts a hands-off approach in areas less familiar to them, if it lacks clear context, necessary support, or consistent accountability, I don’t believe it constitutes true empowerment.

This distance can introduce ambiguity, inconsistency, and in some unfortunate instances can enable less positive team dynamics.

The Nuance: Purposeful Direction and Space

Now, this isn’t to say a leader should never give a clear directive or never allow significant space.

These can be absolutely necessary tools, but I believe they are most effective when chosen for specific reasons.

Consider moments when a clear direction might be needed:

• In a genuine crisis: Where swift, unified action is essential and time for broad discussion is limited.
• For strict requirements: Tasks that must follow precise rules for safety or compliance.
• To avert a clear, imminent issue: Where a decisive change is needed quickly.

In these instances, a leader providing clear, direct instruction is acting responsibly, guided by the situation’s urgency or criticality.

It’s a conscious decision based on the situation’s demands.

Equally, there are times when providing significant space is a powerful choice:

• Empowering a proven expert: Trusting a team lead with demonstrated mastery in an area to take the reins.
• Nurturing growth: Thoughtfully allowing someone the space to stretch their abilities on a specific challenge as a planned step in their development.
• Strategic Observation: Sometimes, a leader might intentionally give space temporarily to observe how a team or individual operates, to better understand where support or guidance might be most impactful.

Yet, even in these consciously chosen moments, this space is most effective when – clear initial purpose is shared, resources are available, and there are understood points for connection.

It’s a deliberate strategy, a mindful way of leading, not an absence.

Cultivating Active Empowerment: A Leader’s Intentionality

True, positive, empowering leadership to me, is about consistently enabling your team to succeed, with thoughtful presence.

I’ve been fortunate to experience this kind of intentional leadership myself — where the right balance of support and autonomy helped me grow, stretch, and feel truly empowered. It’s those examples that have deeply shaped my own views and aspirations as a leader.

Here are a few thoughts I’ve gathered on cultivating active empowerment:

• Build Trust, Continuously: Trust is the bedrock. It’s built through open communication, being consistently supportive, and following through reliably – from both sides. It’s a conscious choice to extend trust and nurture it.
• Focus on ‘Where We’re Going’ and ‘Why It Matters’: I find it most impactful to clearly articulate the goals and the vital purpose behind the work. Ensure the team has what they need. Then, where it serves the objective and the team’s growth, provide the freedom for how they get there.
• Be a Present Partner: Active leadership means being genuinely engaged with your team. It involves offering guidance when it’s truly helpful for their success (discerning this from stepping in because you know the answer, or pulling back when you don’t know). Helping clear obstacles.
• Embrace Learning Together: Especially in new areas, I’ve seen the power of leaders being open about learning alongside their team. Modeling curiosity builds a different kind of trust and encourages everyone to bring their best.
• Align on What Success Looks Like (Beyond Tasks): Empowerment means entrusting responsibility. It’s important to be clear on what success looks like, not just in tasks completed, but in the outcomes achieved and how we uphold our shared values along the way.

I like to think of the leader’s role less as the sole intricate craftsman, and more like the conductor of a symphony.

The conductor aims to understand the entire composition, ensure each musician has their part and instrument, set the rhythm and emotion, and then guides the orchestra to create something beautiful together – highlighting individual talents while ensuring harmony.

This requires active presence and understanding, choosing when to direct with precision and when to provide space for individual brilliance, based on the music and the musicians, not just the conductor’s personal instrument preference.

I believe this model, centered on enabling and guiding with intention, is profoundly powerful.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the path to truly dynamic teams lies in moving beyond default leadership reactions which are often intrinsic rather than what the situation demands. It calls for a conscious practice of active presence, balancing thoughtful guidance with genuine empowerment. Enriching the experience and driving greater success for everyone involved.