Kiriakos Krastillis's Blog

Lean Back!

and let your talented team navigate their way through the challenge!

What?! You will think. And rest on my laurels?? I hear some of you saying. Sure, give them agency to confidently do their job but actually LEANING BACK???

If you have built your whole career around the concept of being there, grinding until you get the results that satisfy you and deeply care about that meticulously hand picked team of yours it can be all too easy to just keep being there. I mean, come on, right? You are going to leave them ALONE???

But as a leader you are only as good as the space you can provide. Not only personal space so that your people can grow individually. Space to grow into as a team. Space to face challenges on their own. Even space for them to be flexible enough to have a chance at succeeding at really critical challenges that they shouldn't have to face on their own. Also space to come to tell you what's going wrong.

Of course it is difficult. Maybe all this is your baby we are talking about. Maybe you have too much depending on this. Maybe you just HAVE to be there. After all, you have been there all your life haven't you?

And you will ask, "Why should I set up my team to face challenges that I should deal with?". Because you cannot guarantee that you will always be there. Because you will have a calmer mind when you get pulled away or need to focus on something other instead. Because you are human too and you will make mistakes.

So while you can,
make space!