Founders have a tendency to be hands-on, touching every important task, meeting, and decision. The desire is understandable, but it’s important to resist the urge to be so granularly involved. This approach is not only unsustainable in terms of bandwidth, it’s also not good for business.
You’ve worked hard to build a standout team of capable people. So delegate to them. Show your trust and confidence in your team’s abilities by giving them opportunities to grow, learn new things, and take on new responsibilities.
It’s only when there is a lack of growth, then there is stagnation and politics.”
ANOOP GUPTA, Co-founder and CEO, SeekOut
Empowering your team allows you, the founder, to focus on leading well. At the same time, employees can expand their intellectual horizons and advance their careers. The net result of these efforts is a more skilled, motivated, and productive workforce.
Make employee empowerment a core aspect of your organizational culture. Talk with employees about their development and help plan the way forward. Creating an environment of growth, responsibility and learning improves your overall capabilities, and allows your team and the business to perform better.
Your company’s greatest asset is its people, and people’s needs change” says Rajeev Batra, who helped lead Mayfield’s investment in SeekOut. “If you want to retain top talent, employee growth must be a business priority. You need to give your team space to explore and learn new ideas, skills and responsibilities.”
