LTYM - Letting Go II

Letters to a Young Manager

Letting Go II, #45
LTYM > Managing People II

Dear Adam,

***

We have already talked about the need for managers to let go and let their team do [1]. This is a business need as organizations grow.

A dear friend, and parish priest, liked to be in touch with everything going on in the church. So he attended every committee meeting. As the church grew and more committees were formed, he was spending days and evenings working. I was head of the church board of directors at the time (warden of the vestry in church lingo). And I was concerned.

I asked him why he was doing this; he needed to let the committees do their work. He said that if a problem occurred he could help right it on the spot instead of cleaning up later. But I asked him, doesn't this suggest that you don't trust the committees? What if they saw it this way? That gave him pause.

Trust is one of most important things in an organization and also on each team. Letting go is an expression of our trust.

***

Sincerely,
Ed

________________________

[1] Also see "Letting Go", Story #11

Takeaways:

Let go and let your team

Discussion Questions:

1) What are some of the things you do that your team may conclude you don't trust them?
2) One of my colleagues had a rule to "trust but verify". What do you think of this?
3) Trust doesn't mean not holding the team accountable to deliver results. How can results and trust coexist?

For Further Reading: