The Team Approach

Rule 39 - You're Still the Boss	View Archives

(Note: after reading this sample from Susan's book you may want to sign up for five more installments on our subscriptions page - click here!) Rule 9 suggests it is important for you to let go so your team can grow. It has been well documented that employee involvement fuels engagement while providing numerous benefits to the organization. It is important to note however, that even though you create engagement by getting the team involved, you are still the boss. If a project goes south, or if someone makes a decision that creates legal trouble, who is ultimately accountable? You are, of course. So how do you balance this idea of letting go while having enough personal involvement to be a responsible manager? A mathematical formula may point the way… In each situation where you collaborate with a team member to reach a decision you have a simple formula that looks like this: Team Leader + Team Member = Decision In leadership workshops we often ask team leaders, what’s the minimum percentage of decision making authority they should maintain in ANY decision making process. The answers range from 1% to 100% with many suggesting around 60% of the decision-making authority should go to the team leader. The answer however is a little bit different: Team Leader Minimum Amount of Authority = 51% We suggest approaching decisions as equal partners while tucking the one percent veto power away, just in case it’s needed. If the decision is not in the best interest of the organization, you use the one percent, carefully explaining why you must override the decision to the team member (or team). This week I met with an executive leadership team that wanted to begin a developmental leadership process. A proposal had been delivered and the entire team was invited to come and discuss the proposal before the process was to begin. One member of the leadership team raised concerns about past experiences with 360 feedback indicating he did not see value in what his direct reports thought about him. I found this comment both interesting and surprising, and suspected the leader was concerned about the feedback his team might offer him. I was not prepared, however, that the top leader would shut down the process because of this managers concern. Then I was even more surprised to learn there had been recent complaints to HR about this very same manager from direct reports indicating he portrayed a different side of himself to those he supervised than to his peers around the executive table. As the top leader of this organization, the CEO might have exercised his one percent veto power and suggested that the need to examine and develop leadership skills was central to the organizations success. This leader had to decide however, between the engagement of the executive leadership team and the engagement of the respective manager’s teams. Did he make the right decision? Only time will tell. Being the leader is never easy. Engaging your team means involving them as often as you can, but it does not diminish your responsibility for results. By reviewing outcomes regularly and asking yourself how things would have worked if you had chosen another path, you can improve the quality of results while building a culture of teamwork and engagement. Action: Reflect on the amount of authority you carry into the decision making process. If it is significantly less then 51% you may be running a social club. If it is significantly more

Rule 39 - You're Still the Boss