Are You a Savior or a Leader?

My biggest leadership failure was wanting to be the savior.

In an earlier role, I was saving the people reporting to me. I was finding the solutions for them instead of asking them what alternatives they had considered. I was completing tasks for them instead of training them on how to do the task. I was communicating with others instead of coaching my team on how to communicate effectively with other stakeholders. I thought I was protecting them.

The result: As much as it may have felt good initially – but really not for a long time – to be seen as the savior for the team, I was failing in my role as a leader. And it cost me energy drain, frustration, work overload.

The moment I SWITCHED to being a leader and not a savior, everything changed.

I started letting people on the team make the decisions. I would just ask “how do you want me to support you?” If they told me “We don’t need you”, all good!

I started coaching people on how to communicate effectively, by asking them better questions, e.g., “How would you communicate with that person if you wanted her to help you?” or “What will be the impact on you or your work if you do not talk to that person?”

I gave them a lot of space for trying, making mistakes, and learn. Learning from mistakes can be painful. But it is so much more efficient than having a savior available on any occasion.

The end result: The team started collaborating much more, as each person had to support others to get things done. They started giving me more relevant feedback, even telling me when I needed to remove myself from discussions or topics. The team started acting as an accountable system. I felt proud about this.

What about you? When are you a savior vs. a leader? Tell me in the comments.

For comments or questions, please visit my website or contact me at pascal@p-m-coaching.com