I was running across our little village, keys in hand. For some reason, the spares were no where to be found so I was running with the keys and the thought crossed my mind: “Why does it always come to me to save the day?” but then almost immediately I thought to myself:
Am I purposefully keeping the keys, to give me some sort of importance, making me irreplaceable but also the single point of failure?
Are You Holding Back the Keys?
This could apply in a lot of situations… in our quest to make ourselves indispensible to our organization, ministry, or company, are we sub-consciously “keeping the keys to ourselves?” Are we giving away what we can and delegating where we can? In some arenas (or businesses), information is power, so there can be a reticence to share knowledge. But these days, I hope we are realizing that power comes in the network, in the tribe, where we care for each other and want to share the wisdom we have with others.
Are You Giving Your People the Resources & Tools They Need?
Or are you just telling them the goal and keeping the keys for yourself? Confident, secure leaders are okay with letting their followers have the information, have the resources, and the authority to charge forward.
So make sure you allow opportunities for your team to get additional training they need and make sure you aren’t–consciously or sub-consciously–keeping back critical information, contacts, or networks.
I am currently working on identifying any areas in my leadership where I am holding back the keys from my team. Is there anything you should be providing to your team to allow them to succeed?