I often hear complaints from emerging leaders about not getting clear priorities from their supervisors. If you’re a supervisor, this might sound familiar: “I’m getting too much work without knowing what to prioritize. Help me determine the levels of importance.”
One option is to bail them out and tell them your priorities. The other option is to teach them to set priorities within the organization. Which do you choose? Remember: they are moving from pleasing their supervisor to transitioning to being more like you—having to make autonomous decisions without much guidance from others.
While it’s important to give them information they don’t have, like details on larger initiatives, changes to processes, directives from the board, and information on larger organizational drivers, the act of prioritizing one thing over another is a learning opportunity for emerging leaders. Rather than do the prioritizing for them, ask them to give it their best shot at prioritizing. Challenge them to guess, trust their impulses, and give it a try. Make it clear that the consequences of not prioritizing correctly aren’t disastrous. They won’t lose their job. The company won’t implode. So much of being a leader is figuring it out on your own—thinking and weighing pros and cons. Someone else can’t do the struggling for you to evolve as a leader.
Coach people to advance to the next level by encouraging independent problem-solving. They may not thank you now, but they will later.
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