Let your Employees Take Initiative

Every once in a while, there might be some rumblings in the team about shaking things up.

Imagine the following discussion in a team meeting:

Employee 1: Boss, why are we not doing anything about XYZ project? We’ve got great traction, yet you agreed to Employee 2’s proposal to revamp our activity on ABC project, which is not as proven! Aren’t we focusing on the wrong thing here?

Manager (You): You’re right about the differences, but there are 2 reasons. Firstly, ABC project is smaller, which means we can take some risks by tinkering around and trying new things. Secondly, Employee 2 brought in some concrete ideas for ABC project. They’re good ideas. Let’s give it a shot.

Employee 1: I really feel we should do something more about XYZ project to make it better for our larger pool of followers rather than wasting time with ABC project.

Manager (You): That’s also a good observation. We can surely improve XYZ project. What would you suggest?

Employee 1: …silence…

You could see where this was headed, couldn’t you?

When it’s time to shake things up in the team, whose responsibility is it to think of new ideas? The manager’s, the employees’, or both?

Whose responsibility is it?

Henri Fayol, a French engineer, laid out 14 management principles that have since become universally accepted guidelines for managers.

One of them – the Principle of Initiative – aims directly at the above concern. It states that management should encourage initiative. Staff – no matter what level they’re at – should be encouraged to show initiative.

Managers don’t have a monopoly on ideas

In the above manager-employee discussion, it’s safe to assume that the employee had tossed the ball to his manager and assumed that the boss would act merely on the suggestion of improving XYZ project.

In many team situations, it is assumed that the manager is responsible for new ideas. After all, that’s why they’re the manager, right? Wrong! Managers don’t have a monopoly on ideas. Instead, managers should encourage their staff to use their initiative – just like Employee 2 did – and get them to develop solutions to problems.

If an employee suggests: “Why aren’t we improving a certain project?”, catch the proverbial ball and toss it back to the team. Rather than expecting you to lead the change, challenge them to come up with some ideas instead.

Turn the problem into a leadership opportunity

Reward the ones who come up with actionable plans and ideas. Give them the credit when sharing the work with others. Create an environment where hurdles are knocked down and doors are opened for them. Solve the issue, but that doesn’t mean YOU need to be the only one solving it. Delegate it, work with the team, outsource it.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to grow as a leader!