Give Your Employees Space

TLDR

Teachable Moment: Encourage and support your employees to tackle workplace challenges on their own.

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The Problem

Every manager wants to get involved when their employee runs into a problem.

You care about your employees and team’s success, so it’s perfectly natural.

But just because you’re the manager doesn’t mean that you always need to solve your employees’ challenges for them.

Especially if you want them to grow into independent and high-performing team members.

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The Solution

Next time your employee runs into a roadblock at work, avoid jumping in and offering a solution right away.

Get in the habit of asking about what support they’ll need from you.

Can they reach a conclusion without your immediate assistance?

Or are they constantly looking at you for step-by-step support?

If they are constantly requesting your assistance, offer to give them space and allow them to look at problems/challenges by themselves before you chime in.

Sometimes the best guidance you can offer is to take a step back and let them problem solve on their own.