Building A Team: Stop Making All the Decisions

When a question pops up on my team, they typically come to me, explain the situation, then I’d make a decision and it was implemented. This was great since everything was done just the way I wanted. But then I noticed that the issues were getting smaller and smaller, and they kept coming to me for the answer. This won't scale.

This didn’t feel very productive. More and more, when questions were asked, I’d find myself thinking “They should know this”.

And so, I tried something new. When they came with a question, I helped them explain the various options, weigh each one, then choose the best one for the situation. We discuss, they implement.

This helps build analytical skills, and empowers the team to become more autonomous. It's a simple shift, but builds the right foundation for a more productive team.