We had lunch with some friends this weekend, and we got to talking about some really crappy working situations. If I could generalize, the one thing they had most in common were managers that were, let's say, not ideal. I started to think, have I been that guy?
The real answer is yes, but not for the reasons that the friends were describing. Comparing those experiences to what I know now, it's clear what those bosses did not do. They were not enablers.
I don't remember who it was that first started to tell me about servant leadership. The gist of it is that you get the best outcomes from your team when you're there to enable them to do their best work. You're not there to sit on high and tell them what to do. If, as a manager, you take professional development seriously, you're probably already close to that zone, if not in it. When you can recognize a person's abilities, and leverage them to achieve outcomes, you are enabling them.
The opposite of this is where you think it's your job to tell people what to do. I'm not saying that you're never involved in decision making, but even that should be in service to action that helps the team. If you're managing adults, and you treat them as such, it becomes pretty obvious whether or not they can do the job. Enabling doesn't mean you'll never have to fire someone or hold them accountable, but you either do your best to enable them, or you get in their way.
The first time I interviewed Matt Ouimet, almost 16 years ago, he said something that has stuck with me. "Everybody wants to be respected, valued and appreciated," he said, "And when they feel that way, they behave differently." I don't get that right all of the time, but I know that when I do, my team thrives. That's a pretty good feeling, and a great reputation to build.
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