Are you solving too many of your team’s problems and challenges on your own? You want to have a team of employees who can make their own quality decisions. Here are three ways to help your employees become better problem-solvers:
Ask your employees for their opinions on a regular basis. Give your employees a voice in key decisions. A great way to build rapport is to make your employees feel as if their opinions are welcomed and that you’re not the only one making important decisions. Many business owners, executives and business leaders are not effective listeners. Take the time to listen to your employees and what they have to say. Solicit their views and ask for their opinions on a regular basis.
Provide flexibility. Assign a project or task, but give employees flexibility in how they carry it out. When they come to you for direction, don’t just let them know how you would do it. Ask questions to help them discover their choices —and the right path — on their own. For managers who aren’t used to this approach — and employees who aren’t used to making key decisions — there likely will be an adjustment period. But allowing employees more leeway on how they manage their work and solve problems can lead to creative and quality solutions and initiatives.
Know that mistakes will happen. Let your employees know that it’s OK when things don’t turn out like they had hoped. Experiments sometimes don’t work. New initiatives can fizzle. Don’t be the manager who pounces on people when they make mistakes. Make sure your employees aren’t afraid to take risks and try new things. Give them the freedom to take on new projects and initiatives and find strategies to make them successful. Many leaders and employees don’t like taking risks and have a difficult time dealing with failures. But taking calculated risks is an important part of growing a successful company, so it’s important to develop that skill.