There was a time in the American workplace where the manager was the person with all the answers. If she didn't know the answer then she surely knew where to find it. Those days are gone. In fact, if you still expect your associates to bring their questions to you for divine light then you are going to fall further behind in developing a high performance team.
Today's uncertain business climate demands a high tolerance for ambiguity. What your associates really need from you are not the answers but the questions. When they are trying to resolve a customer issue, what questions should they be asking themselves?
When your team faces a sudden problem, what questions do they ask of each other that will bring greater clarity to the possible solutions? And, most importantly, when you are not around and they are working alone in their cubicle, what questions should they be asking themselves through out the day. Questions that will lead them not only to a solution but a better solution that you would have come up with.
Here's your choice, you can walk around all day saying, "Do this and then do that." Or you can look at your team and ask, "What would happen if...?" Which one is going to develop a high performance team? Which one is going to harness the intellectual power of the group? Those are questions to which, I think, you already know the answer. So, do it.
Be encouraged,
Barry
