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Tag: Teach
Teach, Don’t Do: A Leadership Mindset
Teach, Don’t Do Understanding what great leaders know can vastly improve your leadership skills.
The most important role a leader plays is teacher. Teach, Don’t Do is my shorthand for “Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish and you feed them for a lifetime”, generally attributed to Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. Successful leadership comes from knowing what great leaders know and applying it effectively.
In many cases, it is faster and easier to just fix the problem, but then, how will anyone else ever learn? Suppose, I never explained to my kids what to do when the smoke alarm starts beeping. All I ever did was say, I’ll take care of it. I’m locked in as the official smoke detector fixer. Will my kids grow up and move away and still call me when the smoke alarm battery needs replacing? Now, I am driving 4 hours in the middle of the night (smoke detector batteries always run low in the middle of the night don’t they) when I could have taught them long ago and they would have taken care of it and I would still be sleeping.
The more people who know how to do something, the more the team benefits. If only one of member of the Women’s Olympic Team has mastered the bar, the team is in trouble if that person is injured. If only one person knows how to submit payroll, when that person takes a vacation, there’s going to be a problem. Great leaders know this and ensure every team member is prepared.
Those mentors I have respected most were all excellent teachers who took stock of my abilities and challenged me move beyond them, seeing something that wasn’t yet there and understanding it could be. Investing time with me to help me grow. Wanting what was best- for me! When I grew, I applied what I had leaned, I became a stronger leader. Research shows 74% of adults consider themselves lifelong learners! Teaching them is an investment, rather than a waste of time.
My point is not that a leader should never do anything directly. Great leaders know that teaching the team is everything!
Great Leaders Know- Teach, Don’t Do
The most important role a leader plays is teacher. This is a foundational principle that great leaders know.
Make Teach, Don’t Do your mantra.
The more people know how to do something, the more the team benefits. As any great leader knows, this is vital for team success.
Links
https://whatgreatleadersknow.com
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/03/22/lifelong-learning-and-technology