Don’t wait until people you lead are ready before you give them a chance. One of the best ways to develop leaders is to give them an opportunity just before they feel fully ready for it.
Not before they’re capable. Not without adequate training or support. But before they’re completely comfortable.
Some things can only be learned by actually doing them.
You can send people to conferences, recommend books, provide training, and let them watch you lead. All of those things are valuable.
But eventually, they need the chance to try it themselves.
Here’s what I’ve learned.
It will stretch them. And it will stretch you.
They’ll have questions. They’ll make some mistakes. And probably do a few things differently than you would have done them.
You’ll have to resist the temptation to step in and take over. You’ll need to coach, encourage, give feedback, and sometimes allow them to struggle through finding a solution.
That’s not always easy. Especially when you know you could do it faster yourself.
But remember, the goal isn’t simply to get the task done. It’s to develop people who can lead without you.
And there’s another reason I believe this is important.
If you wait until someone feels completely ready, you may miss the opportunity altogether.
The need may pass. The window may close. Or the person may never develop the confidence to take that next step.
Confidence often comes on the other side of experience, not before it.
Certainly, we need wisdom in knowing when someone is ready enough. We shouldn’t set people up for failure. But we also shouldn’t allow our desire to protect people from difficulty to keep them from growing.
Sometimes the greatest gift you can give an emerging leader is an opportunity that’s just a little bigger than they think they can handle.
Give them the chance. Stay close enough to coach them. But let them lead.
You may discover they’re more capable than either of you realized.
