Many leaders don’t struggle because they lack capability. They struggle letting go of the work that helped them build their careers and reputation up to that moment in time.
One of the most important lessons I had to learn (and it wasn’t an easy lesson) on my journey to become a better leader was to stop doing the doing and instead, give others the opportunity to get hands-on experience and to learn those skills (and others) in their own way and at their own pace.
Early in their career, great leaders are often great achievers. This is what puts them on the map… gets them noticed… gets them promoted. They have a powerful drive to succeed often paired with a deep commitment to learning, excellence, curiosity, and adaptation. Their ambition, curiosity, and growth helps them become subject matter experts which sets them apart.
But, while leadership continues to be grounded in ambition, learning, excellence, curiosity, and adaptation, it becomes far less about being the subject matter expert. Leadership is about building a room full of experts, and new leaders.
The value of a great leader shifts from having the answers to building and supporting people who have the answers. A leaders role is all about aligning everyone toward an unwavering and reliable commitment to a shared vision that is grounded in shared values. And this is where another critical layer of “letting go” emerges. Great leaders stop being measured by their output and start being measured by the growth, success, and confidence of their team.
The leader that stays anchored to phrases like, “I can do it faster” will be the leader that stifles their own and their team’s success – both short term and long term.
This transition from high-achieving expert to high-achieving visionary and builder of other experts is often one of the most difficult transitions to becoming a truly great leader. It is far easier to say than it is to do. But is an absolute necessity for leaders as they evolve into a new, best version of themselves.
This evolution requires letting go of control, of recognition of the experience and expertise they likely have worked very hard to acquire and often the very same skills that got the employee noticed as ‘leadership potential’.
Being a great leader requires letting go of the desire to be liked at all costs. In its place, leaders need to focus on the desire to build a reputation as a dependable visionary who is trusted, transparent and honest, not to mention in service of others’ growth and creating future leaders.
Great leaders must also let go of the need to be comfortable. Building experts, building confidence, and building accountability requires creating an environment where everyone feels safe so that they are able to have honest, trustworthy, difficult conversations.
If teammates cannot speak candidly about performance, behaviours, risks, mistakes, or opportunities, growth stalls for everyone, the team, the project and the organization. If leaders avoid difficult conversations and/or create an environment where difficult conversations are ignored, they protect mediocrity. Leadership, therefore, is also about letting go of avoidance and saying yes to learning how to have difficult conversations and share constructive feedback. It’s about choosing courage over comfort.
When leaders create an environment of psychological safety grounded in trust and respect, difficult conversations stop feeling threatening and start feeling developmental. Feedback becomes a gift. Accountability becomes shared and standards rise because people know they are supported and believe their leader is invested in their success, not their failure.
Inspired leaders place themselves in service to the people they support. They help their team be proud of themselves, their work, and their impact. When leaders put the growth and wellbeing of their people first, that is when their own reputation grows and that is the moment that their impact as a leader multiplies. And that impact expands even further when a leaders’ people know they can trust them with the hard truths like when they know difficult conversations will be handled with honesty, respect, and a shared commitment to excellence.
By helping others succeed, feel empowered, and speak openly, they grow — and so does your collective influence.