Dear Tony,

How do I know when to let others lead, and when I should step in?  In other words, I want to be a good servant leader, but I also feel like I need to lead more sometimes.  How do I know where the line is?

-Leadership in Lincoln

Dear Leadership,

A few suggestions on how to become a better servant leader: 

• Empower your team – always start with the premise that the team can handle most issues and carry out any mission you give them.  Make sure the team knows you are empowering them, and also make sure you’ve communicated to others in the firm that you have given them the power to carry out the mission.  Just giving your team a mission isn’t enough, make sure others in the firm knows they have been empowered as well. 
• Be aware of how much experience and expertise you have, as well as how much the team has.  Sometimes the team needs a more experienced, knowledgeable leader, and sometimes the team is where the most expertise is where the expertise resides. 
• Inspect on progress - Keep asking what kind of help they need on a periodic, timely basis.  Sometimes this help must come from you, while other times it comes from others in the company.  The key is to stay ahead of the teams rough patches by sniffing them out early and being proactive to resolve issues. 
• Trust your instinct, especially as you read the room and your team.  Sense, adapt, and respond.  Know when they are struggling and learn to know when you are getting in the way of their progress. 

Lastly, a reminder to always remember the window and the mirror principle when working with your team.  When things go right, look outside the “window” and give lots of praise and encouragement to all that you see others did to make success happen.  When things go wrong, look at the “mirror” and examine closely what you could have done differently to create a better outcome.  By doing this, your focus on seeing your teams strengths will get stronger and stronger, and your own personal growth will improve as well as you fine tune your own decision making.

• Want more? Check out The River Guide Pro module on Performance Reviews, including personalized email support to assist you in your particular situation.
• Find out how at: The River (http://therivercoach.org) Got a question? Send your question directly to Tony at [email protected]