In today’s fast-paced world, we are often caught up in the rat race of trying to accomplish as much as possible in the least amount of time. We are constantly saying yes to everything that comes our way, even if it means compromising on our larger vision or goals. This tendency to say yes can be limiting and prevents us from achieving our full potential. As a leader, it is essential to develop the maturity and self-awareness to say no and empower your team to make decisions without you.
Saying Yes too often is not just a habit; it is ingrained in our DNA…
In today’s fast-paced world, we are often caught up in the rat race of trying to accomplish as much as possible in the least amount of time. We are constantly saying yes to everything that comes our way, even if it means compromising on our larger vision or goals. This tendency to say yes can be limiting and prevents us from achieving our full potential. As a leader, it is essential to develop the maturity and self-awareness to say no and empower your team to make decisions without you.
Saying Yes too often is not just a habit; it is ingrained in our DNA and who we are as individuals. However, it imposes a limit on how many things we can accomplish in a day. It is crucial to recognize that the current version of yourself is not hireable by the 10-year version of you. The person you are today has gotten you to where you are, but it won’t get you to where you want to go. To achieve your larger vision, you must be willing to change and grow.
Change is hard, but nobody really talks about the hardest change – self-directed change. The middle management trap is saying yes to too many things. The moment you make your first hire, you switch from just being a producer into being a middle manager. As a leader, it is essential to ask yourself, “Does this align with my vision or the team’s vision?” If it doesn’t, that means it’s not a priority, and you should say no.
To transition from being hyper-responsive to being hyper-focused, you must conduct a time audit and cut down on the things that are taking up your time and taking you away from your larger vision. It is crucial to stretch the “no” muscle. When you say no more often, you become a better leader. When you are less available, you are actually more available to your team. This way, you can win and retain your team because you are more available.
Switching from hyper-responsive to hyper-focused may be hard for your team, so you have to set expectations that things will be different. You must explain to them that you have become someone who manages an inbox and just hits fastballs all day. Still, what you have been hired to do is grow this region. A certain percentage of your role is recruiting, and you want to serve them by working 100 hours a week to ensure they don’t have problems. However, the challenge is that the company expects you to spend a certain percentage of your time on recruiting and growing the team. You must prioritize your larger vision and tell them that you will be making a transition.
Empowering your team to make decisions without you is crucial. As a leader, it is essential to equip and empower your team to do the things you hired them to do. You must stop solving problems for them and instead ask them how they would handle it. Tell them you trust them to make the decision, and then trust them, especially if it’s good enough. This is equipping and empowering your team to grow and develop their skills.
In conclusion, as a leader, it is crucial to develop the maturity and self-awareness to say no and prioritize your larger vision. Empowering and equipping your team to make decisions without you is essential to their growth and development. By doing so, you will become a better leader and achieve your larger vision. Remember, saying no at first is okay because you can always come back and say yes. The power of saying no and equipping and empowering your team will take you to where you want to go.
