The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become. – Harold Taylor
A recent conversation with a leader I coach focused on the amount of time she spends fixing things for her direct reports. She had become stuck in an all too familiar pattern. She’d become ‘the problem-solver.’ As leaders, we can end up spending a great deal of time solving other people’s problems for them. In fact, many just like my coachee report that this takes up the majority of their time. How do we break the cycle?
Leadership is about empowering others to solve their own problems. It is about encouraging those around us to believe in their own ability to think a situation through, choose the proper course of action, and act boldly with autonomy. We want to inspire those around us to be ‘will-full.’ We want them to feel in control of their lives and their work. Only this will break down the culture of dependency that permeates our organizations. Only this will encourage thought and action that enables creativity and innovation. However, when it comes to a strong will, the age old question remains, “Can we give what we don’t have?”