Just get out of the way

I am pulled in too many directions at work. Maybe you can relate. One minute I’m in a meeting about fundraising appeals, the next minute it’s a brochure for the MBA program, and then there is the alumni magazine, science building campaign, campus signage (ick!), website, the latest video production, and 100 other jobs our office is working on. And don’t get me started on the barrage of emails.

I was bemoaning my dilemma to my boss the other day, and he asked a simple question: “What can you do to get out of the way and let your staff step into some of the roles you are filling?”

I must admit that I tend to have a strong sense of self-importance – if I’m not involved, something is bound to be missed. I am the one with the “big picture.” I can protect my staff from the mean people. If I give up CONTROL, everything might just implode.

You don’t have to tell me twice – well, ok, maybe you do.

One of my staff members recently kindly let me know that my helpfulness was impeding her ability to be effective and efficient. I typically serve as the go-between between my graphic designers and our internal clients. I thought I was saving her from the headaches of the back and forth. In the end, she had to interpret my interpretation of the client meetings. She had to wait for me to call the clients with questions. I had taken away her ability to manage her own projects.

Training up of the 12 disciples

We don’t have to look too far to see a model for how to handle this sort of leadership challenge. Consider how Jesus went about training his disciples. For the first several months, the disciples followed Jesus around and observed him. Through their observations, they learned about priorities (prayer and time with the Father); they learned how to have boundaries (not healing everyone); they learned how to respond with compassion to sinful people and to question the status quo of the religiosity of the day. They were with Jesus, sitting at his feet and learning best practices, so to speak.  

When the time came, Jesus took off the training wheels and gave the disciples all of the authority they needed to do their work. They had the power to cast out demons and to heal the sick. Their first assignments were local, and Jesus was still nearby to help if they needed Him. They had all the tools, guidance, and vision necessary to take on their leadership roles. In the end, they were fully equipped to act on their own after Jesus had been crucified.

Training up your team

In this same way, I need to make sure my team is equipped. They need time to observe me and get a sense of what they will be doing on their own. They need a vision. They need me to get out of the way and let them act on their own with full authority for the work to be done. Only then will they gain the confidence they need to take on more and more responsibility. This is the only way to know their real capacity for leadership.

Yes, some people might not step into their new roles with grace. They may stumble. They may actually realize that they really don’t have the capacity to do more than what they are doing. But others might surprise you and step up in ways that you would have never imagined. It’s not until you get out of the way that you will ever really know.

If you left your organization, would everything fall apart because you have not prepared your team members to succeed you? Are there people you are holding back because you are a control freak? Are there higher order things you could be doing if you just got out of the way and let others step up to the task?

Grace Gone Wild at Work

I screwed up at work last month.

I looked at the calendar and my stomach dropped. The annual report (a giant project) needed to be in hand in less than 2 weeks (it takes up a week to print) and we were approaching the Thanksgiving break (3 days off work). The problem? We had not even shown the client initial design concepts and the copy was not ready.

It’s not that we had not been meeting about it and working on it, but my lack of project management was glaring. Sure, I could give lots of excuses – like the fact that we had just launched a brand new website for the entire university… and my senior writer had just returned from maternity leave… and my designer was being pulled in too many little directions. But the buck stops with me and I screwed up.

I knew I couldn’t cry. I had to push through and find a way to pull a rabbit out of a hat. So I hired an outside designer who could work on it over the break and sent everyone the exact hours at which they would need to be available to turn around feedback within the hour. I had the Vice President for External Relations (my boss), the Assoc. Vice President for University Advancement, and several others working over the Thanksgiving break due to my lack of planning.

My boss is very slow to anger, but I knew that if there were ever a time to give me a good talking to, this would be it. I braced myself for our scheduled catch up meeting – ready to just nod my head and take the beating I surely deserved.

Some friends at church have a little phrase they use for stories that are told of the renewing power of grace that we experience or witness: “Grace Gone Wild Stories.” That day, I experienced grace gone wild at work.

I sat down and my boss just said, “How are you doing?” It wasn’t just your normal intro chit chat. It was different. I knew in the back of my head that this had to be a warm up for the beat down I was about to get. We talked about whether or not I was feeling burned out or under challenged. I finally had to ask: “Are you asking because of the debacle with the annual report.” He responded with: “Well, when you see things going along so well for so long and then there is this blip, you have to check in and make sure things are ok.”

I could feel the grace in that moment. He probably doesn’t even know how much of an example he set for me that day. I walked away experiencing compassion and concern for my well-being after I had been the one who messed up. In his wisdom, he probably knew that I already recognized the issue and would find a way to manage it in the future. He chose to check in with how I was doing. And, in the end, it made me want to work harder for him.

 What is your automatic reaction when someone wrongs you in the office? When is the last time you showed grace instead of anger when someone’s error made you work over the holiday?

I challenge you to find new and creative ways to show God’s love to the fallible people in your sphere of influence.